Read Online Wish You Happy Forever by Jenny Bowen - Free Book Online Page B

middle-aged citizens who engaged in qigong-like exercises and meditation and who had lately been staging public demonstrations, some drawing tens of thousands of followers. The government declared that the evil cult’s founder was pursuing a hidden political agenda. Police in several cities detained the group’s leaders. Thousands started gathering to protest the arrests—most visibly, in Beijing.
    While we were in the air, flying south to Guangzhou, there’d been an emergency meeting, and by the time we landed, the government had announced a nationwide ban on Falun Gong on the grounds that it engaged in superstition and disrupted public order, thereby damaging social stability.
    So instead of an escort to the orphanage, a phone call was waiting for us. All government workers, including those at the institutions, would be engaged in reeducation meetings. There would be no visits allowed that day.
    WE WERE ORDERED instead to spend the sweltering day at the Bird Park on White Cloud Mountain. Wen went off to visit some Guangzhou cousins (she appeared to have cousins in every town in China), and I had an opportunity to begin to get to know Mrs. Zhang.
    â€œI really feel very positive about your plan,” she told me. “I can tell from the questions you ask that you are sincere. When you are talking, I am feeling there is a light in the darkness.”
    â€œWhat great good fortune that we found you!” I said.
    â€œI should tell you,” she said, “that I am an orphan myself. Both my parents died when I was young. My aunt raised me and my sister. People often said my aunt should send us to an orphanage, but she would not. So you see, I know how sad that is to not have a mother and father.”
    â€œOh, Mrs. Zhang—”
    â€œForeign friends usually call me Joan. Zhang Zhirong is a difficult name. Not only that, do you know it’s a name for a man? When I went to college, I found they’d assigned me to the boys’ dormitory!”
    The screenwriter in me knew she wasn’t a Joan. I tried it for a while, but eventually I just called her ZZ. It stuck.
    â€œDo you remember when Herb called and you first heard about Half the Sky?” I asked her. “What did you think? That I was just some crazy foreigner?”
    â€œNot at all,” she said. “The timing is good. China is just starting to open up. It may be possible. When later I speak to you on the telephone, I know for sure.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œI can feel you are sincere. This is something different than the others. Not just sending money. You know, I’ve been doing foreign affairs for years. I talk to you and I know you don’t want to invade us or make trouble for China. You just want to make friends and help the children.”
    â€œSo what did you do after that first call?”
    â€œI discuss with Miao. I tell her I can feel the seriousness. And I know the situation about the conditions in the orphanages.”
    â€œYou knew?”
    â€œCPWF works with Family Planning Commission. A great number of babies are abandoned in these times. Besides, I work at UN International Women’s Conference in 1995. Foreign Affairs Office prepares us. They tell us about The Dying Rooms movie. They say women coming to Beijing from all over the world will criticize us. Be prepared, they tell us. Not everybody says China is good.”
    â€œBut you weren’t nervous about me?”
    â€œNo! I want to do this. I took a very active part. We are very close to Vice Minister Wan at Family Planning. He has friend, Madame Jiang, at Family Planning, formerly of Ministry of Civil Affairs. Madame Jiang has good guanxi with Civil Affairs Welfare Department Director General Yan. Short man, very nice. I personally bring letter to Director Yan explaining the purpose. He is expecting me. It’s kind of a friendly talk.”
    â€œYou made it happen.”
    â€œ The Dying Rooms is a bad situation.