The Ups and Downs of My Relatives’ Lives

(Minghui.org) I have a relative named Liang who lives near my parents. Several years ago I told him about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and other people. He agreed to quit the CCP’s affiliated organisations, namely the Youth League and the Young Pioneers, which he had joined when he was young.

Later on, his father wanted him to become a village official and helped him become a CCP member. I heard about this but never got a chance to ask him about it. When I was visiting my parents during the recent Chinese New Year, I ran into Liang and we chatted for a while.

Liang said that it was his father’s idea for him to become a CCP member, but that he did not oppose it. But being a village official would not be easy. Without taking bribes or gray income, he would not make enough to support the family. But he did not dare to be corrupt for fear of being investigated and prosecuted. As a result, he never became an official and continued to run his business.

But it was not easy. “After you helped me quit the Youth League and Young Pioneers, my business did well and my future looked bright,” Liang recalled. But after joining the CCP, things began to decline.

At the time when he became a CCP member, he happened to be opening a branch store of his main store. He invested all the money he had and borrowed hundreds of thousands of yuan from relatives and friends.

The new store was in a very good location and he put in a lot of effort renovating it. “A month after the store opened, however, the government decided to build a new subway line, and the road in front of my store was blocked for at least three or four years,” he explained. “All my investment was gone and I also owed a huge debt. I felt hopeless!”

With no money to run his business, Liang did odd jobs to make a living. He first worked as a fitness coach and then as a real estate agent. But his employer, Evergrande Group (the second largest property developer by sales in China), soon ran into trouble and could not pay his commissions. “Things got worse during the pandemic. I only sold three houses in one year and I still have not received the commission for one of them.” Liang sighed and said, “I promised my wife and son a good life, but now they are suffering because of me. Plus I also owe debts to my relatives and friends. I feel so sorry for my family!”

Liang’s elder brother Lei is in a similar situation. After retiring from the army, he made a fortune from his businesses. With his intelligence and skills, he already had over 10 million yuan. Hoping for a better future, he joined the CCP like Liang and worked at a police station.

Liang said of his brother, “Things went downhill after he became a CCP member. All the wealth was gone and his family was broken. It seems like joining the CCP is like asking for trouble. Right?”

I felt bad for Liang and his brother. I explained to him that the CCP will never change its core ideology of falsehoods, evilness, and class struggle. The regime destroyed traditional culture and targeted the common good, including Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. “Following the Party is a risky dead end and one will sink with the Party,” I said. “Only by quitting the CCP will you be able to stay out of the danger.”

Liang thanked me and agreed to quit the CCP immediately. He said he would tell his brother how to quit the CCP.