Fleeing Red Terror: Elderly Woman in Her Seventies Reveals 26 Years of CCP Persecution in London

January 18, 2026 — 24-hour peaceful protest site on the street opposite the Chinese Embassy in London (photo provided by interviewee)

[People News]“I was once lured by CCP police, illegally detained, and persecuted for eight months. So this time, when police tried to lure me again, I fled China and came to the UK,” said 72-year-old Chen Tiaosheng, now living in London.

Chen Tiaosheng is from Chibi City, Hubei Province, and a retired worker from the state-owned Puqi Carbon Factory. She has personally witnessed the CCP’s brutal suppression and gangster-style persecution of the Falun Gong faith group over the past 26 years.

1. Entering the Practice in 1996 Due to Illness, Gaining Great Physical and Mental Benefits

According to The Epoch Times, Chen recalled that she learned of Falun Gong’s goodness in 1996 through her youngest brother. After he began practicing, he gave up smoking, heavy drinking, and fighting, becoming upright, kind, and self-disciplined. At that time, however, Chen was addicted to gambling on mahjong and did not follow his advice.

In February 1999, she suddenly developed severe tooth pain. After suffering for days, she tried Falun Gong. On the first day of practice, the toothache disappeared, and her long-standing ear inflammation never recurred.

Her temperament improved greatly. She quit gambling, stopped quarreling with her husband, and her home became peaceful. Her husband, seeing the change, also began practicing, and they set up a group practice site at home.

2. Illegally Detained and Persecuted for Eight Months

After the CCP began suppressing Falun Gong in July 1999, her husband quit out of fear. Chen persisted and was arrested three times.

First arrest: July 19, 1999. She went to petition at the Hubei provincial government. Arrested and forced to sign a renunciation statement under threat of prison.

Second arrest: Late November 2000. She and her brother ran a small breakfast shop. Police arrested them again; she signed another renunciation under fear. Police later pressured the landlord to evict them.

Third arrest (lured): December 2000. Police tricked her with a promise to help her find a new shop, detained her four months in Jiayu County Detention Center, then four more months in Chibi Detention Center — without trial. Police extorted 800 and 1,500 RMB from her family.

After her release in August 2001, her husband forced her to divorce out of fear of implication.

3. Constant Surveillance After Release

Police never stopped monitoring her. Every few months they summoned her for photos and questioning. She often lived in Guangdong with siblings to avoid harassment, but police still tracked her through phone numbers and even put her ID on railway monitoring lists.

In summer 2023, when she tried to travel to Beijing, railway police detained and returned her home, warning she could not go to Beijing for any reason.

4. Witnessing Widespread Brutal Persecution

Chen described numerous torture methods in detention: forced labor, beatings, force-feeding, shackles, cold-water dousing.

She recounted cases of fellow practitioners Zheng Yuling, Liu Xiaolian, and Huang Cengxiu, all subjected to extreme torture; some died from abuse. Huang Cengxiu, age 83, died the night police raided her home in 2016.

“Almost every practitioner I knew who did not give up was persecuted — deaths, disabilities, repeated detentions, extortion — too many to list,” Chen said.

5. Escaping China After Another Attempted Luring

In December 2025, police again tried to force her to sign the “Three Statements” and tear up a photo of Falun Gong’s founder. She refused. Later, officers attempted to lure her into a police car under false pretenses. Remembering past deception, she refused and escaped in public.

She quickly contacted her brother in the UK and fled China on December 29, 2025.

6. Participating in Peaceful Protests in London

Arriving in London, she immediately joined Falun Gong peaceful protests, including the 24-hour vigil near the Chinese Embassy and petition activities in Chinatown. Despite language barriers, she travels over two hours by bus to participate.

“When I think of fellow practitioners persecuted to death, I cry,” Chen said. “I’m fortunate to be in the UK where I can speak freely. I must do my best to help stop the persecution.”

She said Falun Gong gave her a new life and expressed gratitude to her teacher ahead of the Chinese New Year.

“Boundless gratitude is beyond words,” she said. “I sincerely wish my compassionate and great Master a Happy New Year.”

(First published by People News) △