UNSILENCED

The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network mobile show you why you work. Steve is an ordinary man who believes in an extraordinary God on his shoulders and walk through no sacred cows call Steve now 86 34 through 866-34-TRUTH or checking out online, Steve Noble Joe.com now here's your host Steve Noble back earlier today. I put some pictures up on his book something is going on up in Canada right now.

Literally thousands, probably tens of thousands of truckers involve going all the way across Canada and end up at the seat of the government because they're concerned about the vaccine mandate there, telling them they can't cross between Canada and America unless they have a vaccine and so you literally have a good by the time to get there tomorrow, that could be a million people showing up as people all along the highway trucks and trucks and trucks and there's cars and it's it's in a massive move the people up there who are fighting for their freedom, and they do not want to be mandated into the vaccine and so that's happening up at all those pictures up on Facebook earlier today. Of course, here in the American context for the last two years we been worried about our personal freedoms, where mass don't wear a mask at the back don't get the facts have a vaccine mandate, you can go to work or you lose your job you can go to school. Whatever the case may be, and even coming up this Tuesday in North Carolina. One of our health commissions is voting on Tuesday morning because they want to institute a vaccine mandate for every student in North Carolina. 17 and up so that means all of our seniors in high school and all of our college students, so that's happening that's abnormal and highly troubling in the American context, but income and countries like China, it's kind of been the norm for a long time of some friends of mine told me about a movie earlier this week called on silenced and then silenced is the story of the following gong practitioners that started in China in about 1990 to 1990, 900 million Chinese people following the practice of following gong is peaceful.

Kind of like tai chi but also philosophical about their lives were changing. They were experiencing more joy and peace. Themselves productivity but they had what they believe was the truth and the Chinese government had a problem with that.

So the government in 1999 started to capture persecute torture and kill of followers of following gong there in China. It did get some internationals attention, but it's just a terrible story but it's a cautionary tale for us here in America today in the studio new friend Winston Lou who grew was Britt born and raised in China a practitioner following gong in an experience that himself arrest, torture, and eventually was able to escape and get to Canada. Now here is in North Carolina and we thank God for that. Winston, thank you for coming today nice to see you. How are you think you for inviting me to this studio. I'm glad to have opportunity to share my story. Yeah, it's so great to have you here. So growing up in China just what was that like generally because most of us Americans have no idea that the communist country. The CCP growing up in China you're really well educated in what was life like for you when you are young man well when I was in China or I was a PhD candidate in the China stall force University in the call Qinghai University you know you if you if you know China very well. You know the students he teaching why University is smart people and no and of will have a bright future. It's kind of like our MIT essay called Chinese MIT England if people call you so you know that's the life we know for me when I would see you know before 1999 I am my genies to become a professor email. I liked researching no academic world is a really my dream.

No professional job and that's the one site also life you know and the but on the other side also.

Life with. To be honest, it before I practice the following will I really had empty void in my heart you know because the 5000 years. Wholesale destruction will fall 5000 thousand years traditional culture by calling CCP since the foot 1949 this communist government in China just eliminates all yeah limited all those traditions, so that's why China Chinese people you know you if you talk about is a rowdy piercing though Isaac values that almost the Nazi really my age enough that I grew up in 1990s 1980s and the after 10 years the cultural revolution.

You know, people tend to, even though it's a moral standards, you know, don't people don't care take advantage from misers, so that's why I was actually you know you my spiritual side. I was very poor, so funky, so how did you find out about following gong your student at the times that right yes so in 1998 I was stocky in the Grattan graduate school of Qinghai University and actually my ex-wife actually was practitioner and she introduced me this the following gong and up because she got to benefit physical benefit and the mental benefit a lot. So then that she passed me this a book about dumb following.

Also, if ongoing title, your brother and yeah you yeah so then once I read it I saw while this is a something I look for because this book could help me feel.fill up the empty void in my heart I I'd realize that while people should lie leave with a meaningful life. You know, you know, because you should know where you come from and where you going to be in the way things go after your life and right start to sound like a Christian Knights like a duck to find meaning and profound meaning yes company yeah yeah so when you first started doing it. I mean, did your life change. I still remember those wonderful days I became kinder and energetic a person you know with peaceful hot enough. It's in the piece. It's to be honest this is something I would say it completely changed my life change in my heart chained to my the view on email to the Walt. You know, for example, before practice, I will tend to be narrowminded. P person you know and do not care some seeing, you know, and not very conceit the right people but to after practicing all because the following will really teach me a lot about guidelines about how to be a good person response to response both lots or send the tool to yourself so I I changed a lot, and so this because I was when I studied up on it and of course I watch the movie, which is incredibly powerful and I want everybody to check that out on silenced movie.com is a website where the director on the second half of the show there was a positive impact on Chinese culture me wherever following gong was being practice and follow the practitioners lives were improving, which always improves culture, but at some point. I guess it was 1999 will talk about this after the break. The government gets involved in the government doesn't like it and the government starts going after all the practitioners of course one of them was Winston Lou, who's here in the studio with me today. We'll talk about that. The story of the very dark turn in everything that he experienced at the hands of the communist government in China and then getting out and then we'll get to the on silenced movie on silenced movie.com is the website. This is Steve Noble in the studio with Winston. Lou don't go anywhere's is incredibly important story here will be right back to Steve Noble show in this video with me sharing his story grew up in China and became a practitioner something called following gong which is a philosophical as well as the money but body mind and spirit started in about 1992 over there. By 1990, 900 million adherents around China which was at the time, probably about 10% of the population so but not threatening thing is actually good for society. As Winston was just sharing with us and it changed his life that filled his heart gave him purpose made him a more considerate person and more energetic, so it helped his work and helped his relationship help them as a member of a community to all plus things for that for the country of China.

But by 1999 as it had gotten so large. The Chinese government took notice and then it just got terrible and it's remained terrible ever cents. So again Winston, thank you so much for being here today. I know you drove all the way over, so we appreciate your time and for sharing with us at super importance of thank you so much. You're welcome. So then I 1999.

Everything's going fine and then when did you all practitioners know that all of a sudden the governments this is gonna be bad. The governments can come after us what what how did you understand that that started people don't know that actually this they seen common stock take two against the for this group actually start from 1996, you know, because following goal became very, very popular evening 1996. Probably you get it. We got company's empty meeting something in all practitioners and reconnected the Chinese people wears us the pretrial Harry Tate you know which distiller which was destroyed by communist. With GM you know you passed the 50 years but however several top leaders of CCP leaders say no and they had paid attention to who following: group since 1996 I mean they didn't intend to put text. If ongoing practitioners but they treat final goals are teaching us in the values as threatening to CCP's the power controlling Chinese people is the mind and the hearts so that's made to the scene. You know that know that they they actually for step they bend as a primary book of following gong. That's the problem. Yeah right here and you 1996 and then there's is very stop.

That was up.

Awful growing repression from 1996. Between 1999. So for example the demonic tour if ongoing practitioners see no and took packed a site you will pick because we practice always in the topics I like these are watching you know you you're being watched. So there's suppression there yeah and also, sometimes they hire some bad guys to bullying cost blow diaster tools are when we do with my dictation and topic site. It happened several times hating yeah you commit, you know, so that something happened so you know you know they didn't stop the public's public practice until July 1999. So eventually, persecution started on on July 99. They come out and say this is a legal right and then and then when did you get to me about the circumstances of your arrest for you personally. Personally, I was pocketed four times, you know, the first time and date when they started persecution.

We went out to to 10 men Squire to appeal to the central government.

Tino actually attend the Squire's coast was CCP's government.

The central government Paul compound so I went there and then a lot of practitioners of course went there to try to tell them the truth about today. This is something wrong because I'm to begin you.

I really confused about what's what's wrong that I government, wide yeah why I don't get this one onto the meeting with the people and better to have no more people and does government benefit from the benefit of the whole country.

Yes, so then that's what most of practitioner I would say hunt all the practitioners have this the same assault in bikinis so that's why we went love people went to the Menino appealing office to try to tell them the truth, but unfortunately government officials are never learned one single word, one single they were not interested yet.

So then I dip that dip does this and said they believe that the call not a lot of above the proboscis actually in a forced us to get in get on the bodice and up and delivered us to, you know, stadium or something you know then a four star, so to stay there for about eight hours. That's the first time for time. I detain and falling that I got since the house are resting though. After couple months and because I would not give up and after that I when I went to after I went to Academy Squire to hold a banner tool, a protest against the persecution and I was supposed into detention center for months and always something like illegal gas or something you know with and then on the longest time is I was sentenced to three years seem to know what happened to you in that three year span of prison because that's when I know this gets all that something very hard to remind you to recall my memory so it's a II was the tortured to the point almost mental disorder. Yeah, after three years losing your mind yeah so so as it is physical torture physical torture mental torture torture yes and the confinement solitary confinement in solitary confinement how small was the room they would complain it's about 7 ft.� sums everything little box yeah so it's up and now nutrition, not not know any food for the it's very hard to know and it's not surprise to have the flyers in the flyer and flies your fly's life exiting the soup in the soup. You know so and 1/2 year I was completely deprived off the human contact. The end and a whisk and ended up the cart.

You know, from government to told me you know we try to drive you insane. You know so then yeah this is the way Holly Drive people you know the whole against the government, not government you not against the CCP's command now to twist out yourself. Mental disorder, so why did they let you out wide and they just kill you they try to.

I think that's a something they try to you Tyner for the following practitioners so they they try to use a way off of transformation they try try to change your mind and also force you give up and then they can build a good email in front of the wall say hey see this if ongoing practitioners that he gave up. You know right by himself. No big deal walk away. Yeah. So then the see that's why we are. This is up this way they can justify their policy of persecuting fungal purchase orders, what, why didn't you walk away. Winston just quit.

I think there's a reason here's up if you know the meaning of life. If you know the what's good, what's about you.

I will, I would say I was a stay at the side of the coot. Even with the risk off of my life. That's my thought and that that's a good message for the rest of us. We don't know what that kind of persecution is like I don't know that we ever well we might but is it worth it is worth second place in your life. The ultimate good. For course for me as a person just for you as follows practitioner will be right back back if Steve Noble to Steve Noble shows a good to be with you today great honor to have as little in this video with the sharing his Tory worn and raised in China and she was able to escape and got to Canada and then eventually came down here to America has been in America since 2012, but he was an excellent student had a promising career ahead of him but had a big old hole in his heart, as many of us do most of us do.

I would say all of us to and then discovered following gong that really took off in in China as a kind of mind body spirit practice including physical practice but changed his life changed a lot of people's life, but eventually as you are hearing in the last segment of the government didn't like that and started to persecute to the point of capturing, torturing and killing following gong practitioners all over the country and remember at that point there were about 100 million of them.

I had several friends reach out to me including somebody that used to be from Russia to tell me about the movie un-silence. The website is un-silenced movie.com, which tells the story through a particular group of students who follow follow follow gone just like Winston did and it was changing their life and their imprisoned and tortured and killed and in just it's a brutal story itself. It's a cautionary tale for us in America as we see every year especially to cope with the government getting more more powerful, more more controlling and now through social media and through the loss of a job, whatever, there's consequences to not towing the government line so when they don't like your opinion they don't like what you're practicing. They do have the power that even now in America that were starting to see that in China. Of course, that's the most extreme example that we can see around the world is an incredibly powerful movie unsilenced unsilenced movie.com or to talk to Leon Lee here in just a second is the director but I want to play the if you're on the radio you'll hear it but I want to play the trailer just to give you, get your mind and your heart in the right place in the wall. I will bring Leon in and talk about the movie will continue to talk about Winston's experience as well but this is the trailer for unsilenced practitioners. Sony's OSHA.

So in the trailer and this is subtitled okay so obviously shot entirely in Chinese is that there is an American reporter in there and in the trailer.

You just see these people. These are a beautiful calm, loving people starting a practice following gong and all of a sudden the government gets involved, rest, torture and killing just a brutal brutal story, but like I said, a cautionary tale for us in America, the director of unsilenced is joining us today on the show by zoom Leon Lee was up in Vancouver, Canada, and Leon, thank you for being with us.

How are you I'm good thank you for me. So how did this heart of the story of following gong and everything that happened in China. How did this cross your path in the decision to make the movie will be making films about China for quite a while. My first film was actually about illegal harvesting of vital organs from fungal practitioners but also Tibetans, Uighurs, house church members and other political dissidents. So for me it was really an eye-opening experience. After I left China to learn about 9089 Canon massacre and then was elect to another. I realized almost everything I learned in China were immortalized in terms of major historical events right we were told it. No single student died in 1989, 760. We were told United States and South Korea invaded North Korea order to invade China.

That's why there was a Korean War and of course later on were told about how back following the worst and social force but I'm fortunate enough to interview many practitioners, myself and for my observation, absolutely the best people kindhearted. Just go only going about their lives according to their principles.

No threat to anybody but obviously that's not how the CCP felt so they lost the crackdown, and so many atrocities happened. This particular film when I was working on my last documentary I met while we who I believe if Winston knows him, but certainly using your university and he had spent eight and half years in prison.

He finally left China after serving his sentence.

He told me he story the main character in the movie is based on him is that correctly on this story and I do know what you covered with Winston Army coming in, but people into our universe, upright stars, brilliant future to to think that these people would give up their future gives up their career just to stand up for their beliefs is really movie and after I heard the story from long right then I decided to make a film about and I think three and half years later, we finally got this week and and Cinemark and in the I want to talk about that unsilenced movie.com is a website because we have to ask questions about how we can see it in the future. What's been going on. I would imagine Leon more, more Americans are understanding the power of the Chinese government, even here in America, particularly in the movie industry because the movie industry makes a lot of money by sending movies over to China, even though China scrub some stuff, but I would imagine that Hollywood didn't have much of an interest in you did even bother talking to Hollywood to make this film and you knew you had to do it on your own will. I sort of learned to find my movie would try to officially surpassed the United States as the largest box office in the world.

Last year, while and recently I just read scheming platform screened by club in China and to change the ending of flexible, you mentioned to subversive yeah so for long time Holly was trying to we know please. The sensors in trying to try and get the movies the Chinese market and later on we went one step further to have a Chinese version in that version to make sure you include Chinese test or portray the Chinese regime in a positive light like so nothing to find my movie yeah I'm sure they are, but it's it's incredibly powerful.

It's incredibly well done as you were making a movie did.

I mean the people working on the movie Leon where they concerned about the effect it could have on their and their careers in the film business is really in question. I remember the first meeting we had.

I told my people hello guys, make a film about China number one use Chinese cast number two. Use Chinese locations. So good luck. That's what happened.

We had a good one to show this film and even I want people so afraid of the Chinese regime while the cast members crew members multiple locations. People would back off. Even after signing the deal memo locations will cancel all rental days before production were to start.

So essentially after 1230, nobody should we have had to scramble to look for next location. After the one production was done nothing. It took two months I realized the core team had only one day off together is a difficult working conditions and of course in your spending money every time have to change anything. So it's very difficult I've been around movie sets before and that's is a lot of preplanning and all center stuff to just change that's a nightmare. Did people as they got involved with the project, though. Leon did they feel a sense of of duty to tell the story did it change from just a job to more like a mission. Yes, absolutely. That's also what I realized is once people came on board the study descriptively realized that the film is based on real life events almost every scene almost every plot point. They were people's lives people sacrifice and it was really a sense of purpose for coming together and I don't have much money to pay them anyway. People came here to really try to make film they can be proud and which is open for a week now we've got a flood of you know emails and comments telling us how powerful the film is how deeply the story resonated with them.

I was also told it is in some places the screenings would end up with a standing ovation. So, so I think no matter how difficult it was a stalwart yachts over the Winston. I wanted to ask you the first time you saw the fill.

How did it affect you. I was it's very hard because so when I watch this movie it's recalled a lot for my memories because you know personally I participate the union. Some of the events. This movie presented to the audience enough.

I knew I knew personally miss the one in this movie, you know, based on and you know and I just have to just speechless about with tears almost all the time come from a yeah that's why that's it's it's up our front and laminate will keep you and because I want to keep talking about this and from an American perspective because you know you know it enough that for us as Americans. Most of us are kinda ignorant to the stuff we don't can't imagine anything of it like this ever happening in America. But even in the last two years, a very very small way way to see the advance of government power with respect what's been going on with COBIT like you cautioned calling a cautionary tale. Don't go anywhere. Everybody will be right back double show unsilenced movie.com fun silence movie.com what you understand what's going on in the play the movie. Leon Lee is with is the director of unsilenced and then her good friend. Now Winston Lou who was barren China experiences himself. The persecution of the Chinese government against the peaceful followers. The following gone, which was changing individualized exchange of the community was good for the country but it was a different version of truth, and the CCP the communist government wanted to deal with, so they just began to intimidate and persecute eventually to jail to beat to torture and kill. In some cases. When I asked you this question earlier Winston guessing like how many people there were 100 million followers of fallen Ganga 1999 when it got really bad. How many of them do you think were actually imprisoned in one way or another by the Chinese government. It's hard to tell you I exact number because there's no statistic even though you know you CCP's government. They do have a statistic but to help you know that right but I can't estimate this email. For example, you might impact a site in China so we got about 60% practitioners in being persecuted in different ways. So when I went out to China. I have a check to the other practitioners who came from all different practice citing know and thus escape the China.

This number is almost similar across the board. Yeah so I would say in my opinion.

So that's what it said not over claim the say more than two meetings.

Three PO swimming all even to many practitioners being tortured all persecuting different ways yachts. It's mind-boggling, especially for us in the American context to get our minds around that. Did you know Leon when you started making the movie unsilenced. By the way everybody that the website is unsilenced movie.com limited run right now but working. I hope and pray that it expands from theirs that more people can come to know the truth, it did. Did you find out to make in the movie Leon and Leon Lee is the director that it was far worse than you even imagine. I had the privilege to speak to many practitioners of my previous documentaries for me is not really use for say, but in order to write the script to have these characters I needed a deeper understanding of their motivations with the West through and that itself is also no nothing compared to what Winston experience, but is traumatizing for me to understand the sacrifices sure the painted went through so and I hope you guys were talking about torture before we had a discussion about what to do. In this movie and we actually had to dial back in our scene because what happened in real life was even worse. So it was shocking to watch on the screen, but I assumed just in order to get the film on a big screen, you have to dial it back but just to see that was shocking in and of itself. I teach a lot of students here locally US history. We just went through the Civil War and I end up in the early days of chattel slavery here in America. I showed him a lot of pictures that were very uncomfortable because it's one thing to know about it but you really have to be faced to be face-to-face with the brutality of it and so that's what I'm imagine that that was kind of a softer version as brutal as it was versus the truth of what the Chinese government was doing right.

We we we try to make sure you can still know what watch the movies, not too hard to watch but basically you get the idea of how terrible the choices are.

So what's been the response from the audience.

I get emails and everything. But if you could kind of generalize what the response, especially from the American audiences bend this movie. How would you describe mostly people are saying is an eye-opener. Something they've heard about it. They had no idea the extent that this hosting is no idea about you and the workings of the company's writing on the propaganda machine works of the security apparatus functions and to work deeply moved and inspired by Wong and his friends as they were to pull off. Given the circumstances and minutes were even told me also of course America is a very different country and different different circumstances of the principles he learned that they did it didn't want exhibited in the story they felt very inspired yet because was that important to you Winston that you are there you are one of the students in the same area that you are all kinda started go through this together. I would imagine that having other people involved and you're all getting persecuted, but you could all encourage each other. That must've made a big difference that you weren't alone that that's a I would that say without success. Support from a federal practitioners and that time we probably I probably cannot sit with you here that's important that you had to go through it together selling the film and ask both you this question Winston and then the Leon leaves the director in the film it look like the Chinese government was pretty effective at getting non-practitioners to turn on practitioners was that happening where they were people just believe the propaganda and also know we gotta stop all these following gone people and so regular people, neighbors and everything returning on you. Did that happen. You mean that regular people to turn away from fundable practitioners to write. I think that's as it happened, the union forced a couple years so when CCP's. The propaganda was so strong in the poisoned a lot of Chinese people in the prewash of Chinese people, but I after five years I will II saw the friends because of ongoing practitioners, like all people like me, you know they reinstated them insistent on the speaking up the true sendoff you know you see all kinds way.

Scene will distribute the flyers in the most by most all do you mean when they started to push yes yes all kindof change a lot of people's mind so good and was that an important part like frustum here in America.

Leon what what do you want us to take away from this movie. If you get a list.

Here's Leon.

Here's the directors that we need to learn and think about and act on what would it be, will you finally just don't add on what was your experience firsthand. But for me, what was was astonishing to me with we think about persecution maybe were thinking about police showing up and around his people and be to talk to them but is even worse. The entire nation is turned against his people, neighbors turning up there.

Their neighbors were practitioners. Husbands are forced to do about divorce your wives cheese or keep out of school because her parents are practitioners using the workplace. What you need to know is the Communist Party in China sort of has a representative almost every community almost work place even even sometimes private enterprise in universities, evening schools, so their task is to carry out party policy and in this scenario is to eradicate fungal so there's no no place safe even on your home. That's what's also trying to depict sort of know in the film and back to your question actually asked as a filmmaker.

Mike Michael is not to tell a story a very compelling story and I hope this story puts between self with the students were able to do despite persecution of these is telling the truth come to the propaganda and even the American reporter who is accomplishing character, but I interviewed but it doesn't what's the reporters who were stationed in China and loss of scenes were also based on their real life experience and so they sometimes also face a choice. They tell the truth or do they try to secure a visa to stay in China for another six months so the story then I think people will tell their own conclusions. What's next for the movie. So what's the plan from here. If we are lucky enough to have extended release or what released and all the better. If not, I hope some you know streaming platforms. What will pick us up then it might be available even more people. So far I don't have any success yet. I know some skin giants are also developing their businesses in China sure.

I hope some someone will step up and do the right thing. You got that's what it takes Amadeus to step up and do the right thing. Like Winston did like long dead from the movie and were all responsible to do the same thing to spread this message. That's why when all you go to them we'll see what happens with the movie released and after all of us as Christians is to be praying that God gets behind. This truth is we know he always is and opens other doors, more screens, more of a release wide release and then a streaming platform. We should all be praying for that to get the truth out for neighbors there in China know the people that have suffered under this unsilenced movie.com is the website unsilenced movie.com and will certainly keep abreast of what's going on about Leon. I can't thank you enough for your time today and thinking for the film is incredibly powerful and moving and helps us understand what's going on the world around us, especially there in China so we just thank you for all your efforts.

It's awesome that you think you are right will talk to consider that and then Winston again. I know what what would be your motive. Your comments to hear those of us here in America with respect to the movie and what's happening to people in China.

What would you want us to do. I would tell the American people typically young generation to seek truths by yourself, you know, because the even when in China we we don't have a good resources to find the right yup it's all come from. You are human to human.

18 oh human nature to identify what is false, but here you married Kurt you still have a lot of opportunities to find out the resort just I'm supplied the Y know there's a lot of young people sounds like a no getting away from the right.

Listen to those how to say those doctor-patient indoctrination propaganda by simply paying no intend to do some vaccine failure item that's the challenge that's what we do, we try to do that five days a week and I try to do that in my teaching, you need to understand the truth. Just don't take the government's word for the medias work for you.

Educate yourself Winston God bless you really think you for being here today.

This is the noblest, even though Michelle got welling up. Talk to you real soon and like my dad always ever forward another program powered by the Truth Network