SFFG Reflections – Shawn

Hi, my name is Shawn and I am from Italy.

I am ethnically Chinese but born and raised in Italy, which set me apart from most of my
teenage friends and schoolmates. Growing up, I always felt different and in fact, I didn’t like
being Chinese because I was often made fun of for the way some people from mainland
China behave and act. I carried this sense of not belonging to any group for a long time
because I was too Westernized for the Chinese, but too Asian for the Italians.

During my first year of university, I was in a very low state and felt empty inside more than
usual. I remembered an ancient spiritual practice I had heard of called Falun Dafa and asked
a young practitioner about it, telling him that I wanted to try it.

He sent me Falun Dafa books, and after reading the book ‘Zhuan Falun’ for a few months,
my long-lasting eczema and asthma were gradually gone. This brought joy to my parents,
and also saved them a lot of money on medicine.

Since Falun Dafa is deeply engrained in traditional Chinese culture, little by little, I started to
rediscover my Chinese roots. I realized that Falun Dafa is a spiritual practice that teaches
people to be more compassionate, be more tolerant when encountering disputes with
others, and to keep a high moral standard for themselves.

I learned about how profound and meaningful our 5,000-year-old culture is, and that
Chinese culture is nothing like the last few decades of recent history. I came to understand
that traditional Chinese culture inspired many other great civilizations. Moreover, I found
out that the reason why everyone paid respect to China and its people in the past was that
our ancestors carried propriety and goodness in everything they did.

Now, I am very proud to be Chinese.

After learning the teachings of Falun Dafa, I have been trying to live by the principles of
‘Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance’. Although it is difficult to always be able to do it, I
have changed a lot for the better. Many old friends were quite startled to see that I had
become more mature, more calm, and more judicious. Many Chinese people I meet are also
surprised to find out that there are Falun Dafa practitioners who are actually young, highly-
educated, and well-mannered fellow Chinese people. This is because the propaganda of
the Chinese Communist Party has been spreading false information on Falun Dafa.

I hope that more and more people find out about what Falun Dafa is really about, and I hope
this 23-year-long persecution in China ends as soon as possible.

Thank you for reading!

Shawn