The male lead-actor died on his wedding day at the police station…leaving behind his lonely young bride dressed in snow-white wedding gown…

Main Actress: Fa Zi (acted as Jing Yuan)

On July 18 “Forever,” a movie production by Tokyo-Chinese, was the opening film at the Third Shen Zhou International Film Festival. The story occurred in a tranquil music, from beginning to the end. The heavenly music echoed deeply into my soul. It allowed me to feel the destiny of the characters in the movie. “Forever” has resonance in my heart and soul.

Perhaps, only such music can comfort the innermost feelings which enables me to be aware of the meaning of “duty-bound and no turning back,” to realize that faith empowers with strength. Still perhaps, this music brings me sobriety even when tears streamed down my face. Through the characters’ faith in “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance” and traditional Chinese values, the film presents from multiple layers and perspectives a realistic view of the spirituality of the group represented by the lead character.

“Forever” is a eulogy about faith, based on the tragic realities of most Chinese families under the Communist Party’s despotism. These tragedies are so common that most families have these experiences of some degrees. Amongst these common experiences, the director has uncovered some unique perspectives.

For example, a scene from the movie shows a mother urging her daughter to break up with her fiancé, who practices Falun Gong. The mother told her daughter Jin Yuan that even though she did not believe the television’s rumor about Falun Gong, she understood those propaganda expressed the government’s position regarding Falun Gong. This scene is a concrete example of Chinese citizens living under the lies told by the Communist Party. Fearing imminent disaster on themselves, most Chinese could only try to guess what the Communist Party is trying to achieve or whom the party is targeting with their rumors.

The Chinese people have only learned to read the Communist Party’s rumors after paying a hefty price of losing their youth and countless lives. For example in the 1950s, rumors of landlords exploiting farmers led to the killing of tens of thousands of landlords; in 1957 the rumor of intellectuals questioning and attacking the Chinese Communist Party resulted in more than a million Chinese elites being black-listed and tortured; in 1959 the rumor of “natural disaster”, resulted in death of 40 million to starvation. During the Great Cultural Revolution the rumor of Liu Shaoqi being “the rebel, the traitor, the scab”, resulted in another cleansing within the party and the violent death of several millions of innocent lives. These sacrifices are warnings for all people: While one may pay no attention to many things, one cannot afford to ignore and underestimate the evil doings of Chinese Communist Party.

I sincerely thank the director and the actors. They have used artistic expressions so those who have been spared the tragedy of the Cultural Revolution, particularly the younger Chinese generation, could see the true nature of the Chinese Communist Party.

In the movie, the leading actor died in Chinese prison and his fiancee fled her hometown. The story and its ending is still happening around us. It is no doubt a blessing for an individual to be able to live a free life away from persecution. It is a tragedy, nevertheless for our country, our relatives and friends still living there….

This is where the faithful cannot survive;
This is the barren land of civilization;
This is the hometown of political refugees;
This is where the human spirit can no longer live. Only by giving up these beautiful scenery, only by leaving families and friends can one safeguard both one’s life and religious belief.

Will we lose our motherland? Will we become a race that had lost our “motherland?” I dare not think or look, for there is no signs despotism is coming to an end. The land is still filled with tears and blood …

Download Forever Trailer
I had been waiting for new films from Shen Zhou Film Studio and finally found a trailer. After opening the link, I was greeted with poetic images and fresh music. As the melodious notes knocked upon my heart-strings, an indescribable inspiration welled up in me, as if tears were flowing deep in my heart. I could not tell the source of the inspiration, until the word “forever” appeared at the end of the film. I remembered the caption at the beginning of the film that said, “Adapted from a true story from Zhigang Zuo”. This was a name familiar to me, since I had seen it on a Falun Gong practitioner’s exhibition board many times. What did he experience that made his life worthy of a movie? With this question, I found a lot of articles about him on www.minghui.ca. This time, my tears welled up like a spring.

Zhigang Zuo is a Falun Gong practitioner from Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province. On the day before he took wedding pictures, on the afternoon of May 5 2001, he was arrested forcefully by local public security police at his workplace, and was persecuted to death on the same day. Scars on his corpse were countless; on both sides behind his nape and neck, there were marks forced by a thin rope; one ear was purple; two deep chopstick sized holes, with 1 inch distance in between, were found at the center of his back at waist level along his spine. In order to cover up their crimes, the policemen lied, saying that Zhigang Zuo committed suicide and prohibited his family members from taking photos. His parents refused to sign the Suicide Death Certificate, requesting that the murderer receive severe punishment. The local public security conspired with each other, and shielded the killers, a group of policemen. Zhigang Zuo’s parents’ appeal was ignored and they were even threatened by the policemen. In recent years, the evil policeman tried all means to destroy the corpse in order to remove evidence. Protecting their son’s corpse and getting back justice has been the sole and total purpose of the lives of Zhigang Zuo’s parents. Nevertheless, under China’s evil policy against Falun Gong practitioners that says, “Beaten to death equals suicide; beaten to death means finished “, so far Zhigang Zuo’s injustice has not been exonerated and the murderers are still at large to continue to do evil.

Zhigang Zuo’s parents are no longer able to express joy. To ask for redress for their beloved son, for several years the elderly couple went to all levels of government departments in all the provinces and cities for. While suffering from this mental pain, they also need to look after their sick daughter and Zhigang Zuo’s grandmother, who is over 90-years-old. When the grandmother asked about Zhigang, the family members had to suppress their sorrow and say: “He went abroad, and will not come back soon.”

Kind, good-natured and ready to help others, Zhigang Zuo was tragically persecuted to death by the Chinese Communist Regime. It moved the heaven and earth. On the day he was killed, Shijiangzhuang became abnormally cold as the continuous high temperature dropped violently, and Wuyuezhai of Linshou Country, in the vicinity, saw heavy snow. Insiders said that this was heaven telling his innocence, and was also a warning to the perpetrators and the world: the miscarriage of justice will be reconciled in the end.

Zuo Zhigang’s life stopped forever at the age of 33. His family last saw him dressed in yellow, as in his portrait and the wax from the two white candles formed a Lotus – He comforted his loved ones in this way – Falun Dafa is the truth, and although torture took his body, he was like nirvana, like a phoenix rising from the ashes; immortal with eternal life.

I am moved to tears by Zhigang Zuo’s ability to be solid like a diamond and immutable. I am moved by the indomitable spirit of his parents to seek justice. The murderers are foolish to think that time can eradicate evidence, while the time has made Zhigang Zuo enter into the hearts of millions of kind-hearted people. With his short life, he demonstrated the beauty of Falun Dafa, witnessed the evil of the Chinese Communist Regime persecutors, and called for the awakening of people’s consciences. The rescued people will not forget him; his spirit will co-exist with the world.

The real deeds of Zhigang Zuo are so heart-shaking that I cannot imagine how the movie will depict his life. Nevertheless, I have already been deeply moved and attracted by the sad but not distressing music. I look forward to learning about this great and immortal soul together with the audience.

Finally, I want to share a poem written for Zhigang Zuo by a friend of his to cherish the memory of the deceased:

My dearest, is this the only way to awaken you?
My kind friends and family members:
You can hardly believe that a good person can be put in jail;
You find it hard believe that so many Dafa practitioners have been murdered by the evil.
……
Brutal torture of several hours is like a moment.
It’s easy to move the mountain but not my heart.
The snow in June can hardly tell my pure heart;
The lotus formed by white wax drops is my heart
I paid my life
Only for your awakening.
http://www.shenzhoufilm.com/sz/en/2008/10/07/a10024.html 2008-10-7 04:05