The Story of a Taxi Driver

(Minghui.org) One day in 2015, I reserved a taxi for an outing early next morning. Six fellow Falun Gong practitioners and I needed to make a trip to a faraway place. When we arrived at the agreed-upon location before 6 a.m., the taxi driver, Mr. Li Yiming (a pseudonym), was already there waiting for us. It was the first time I met him, a kindhearted veteran in his 40s.

It was a long trip. We talked to Mr. Li along the way. Speaking of the moral decline and corruption of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials, he told us his personal experience.

“A few year ago, a middle-aged man took my taxi to another city. The man dressed well and no one could tell he was a bad guy. After we arrived at the destination, a few strong men dragged me out of my car and then into a room. They beat me and tried to extort 100,000 yuan from me. They threatened to kill me if I didn’t give them the money. I told them I didn’t have that much money, which led to another round of beating. They then asked for 20,000 yuan, and I told them I only had 7,000 yuan. They beat me again and then forced me to call my family to wire transfer the money immediately. The gangs let me go after they received the money.”

When we talked about government corruption and injustice, he knew it well, “Not long ago, a vice mayor from a local city was investigated and punished for owning more than 30 apartments and over a dozen mistresses.”

“The Communist Party lies all the time,” he continued, “A few years ago, a local factory exploded and about sixty people were killed. In order to cover up the accident, the local government sent armed police to surround the site at night, and nobody was allowed to get in. A man who participated in the cleanup said that he picked up at least 30 human legs, while the official death toll was only two. Another two young men posted on the internet that the actual death toll was about 60. They were arrested and forced to plead guilty on TV and say that only two people died.”

“In another local major car accident, more than a dozen people died, but the government announced that no one died. A lot of people know that the Communist Party is evil and violent.”

We told him about Falun Gong and how the CCP has persecuted Falun Gong for over 22 years without any legal basis. He said, “I know. There is a Falun Gong practitioner in my village. She is really a kind person and is always ready to help others.”

We told him that since the CCP is evil, he should not be a part of it. We urged him to quit the CCP to avoid being held responsible when the time comes to seek justice against the CCP for its crimes against innocent people like Falun Gong practitioners. He immediately agreed, “I am a member of the Party. Please help me quit it with my real name. Please help my family members quit it too.” He gave us the names of his father, wife, and children. We told him they themselves had to agree to quit the CCP, otherwise it wouldn’t count.

Upon arriving at our destination, we did our thing and he went to have lunch. After we were done, he came back to pick us up for the return trip. He bought us a watermelon as the weather was very hot.

The next time when we reserved his taxi, he came with his wife and children to confirm in person that they wanted to quit the CCP and its junior organisations. We had a nice talk with his family.

Since then, I always went to him when I needed taxi service. He said, “I admire you guys for continually giving of yourselves without asking anything in return [he meant that we practitioners spend our own time and money to raise awareness of the persecution]. I will learn from you.”

“Thanks to you. I always get more than enough reservations in recent years, while other taxi drivers have to look for rides.”

I told him that I believe that we are all blessed by Falun Gong, “You have the courage to speak up for Falun Gong and to help practitioners who are having difficulties. You will be blessed.”

He replied, “It is my pleasure. Any time when you need a taxi, just give me a call.”

The last time I saw him, he told me, “I moved to a compound in an elegant neighborhood. We have a club in the community where people come to play chess or poker. Everyone who lives there knows that the CCP is evil and how it is killing people. We are looking forward to the day when the CCP collapses.”