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 Wu You-qi - Nee's prison mate for 9 years.

[b]VICTIM OF 20 YEARS OF COMMUNIST PERSECUTION SPEAKS OUT FOR FIRST TIME[/b]
[i]by Jeremy Reynalds[/i]

With a conservative grey suit, a red tie and neatly combed grey hair no one would ever have thought that Wu You-qi had spent 20 years in prison. In 1960 he was ordered to spend seven years in prison, a sentence that was extended until his release in 1980. In 1963, You-qi was reassigned and became a nine-year cellmate of Watchman Nee, well known worldwide for authoring a number of books, including "The Normal Christian Life." In a recent interview, You-qi (an outstanding athlete and boxer when he was arrested and charged with "reactionary behavior" by the then extremists in the Chinese government), told me his story.

[b]BEGINNINGS[/b]
You-qi's saga started in 1960 (before he knew the Lord) when he spoke out against the communist cultural revolution. He was accused of being a "reactionary against the revolution."

"I said the (revolution) didn't benefit society. The Chinese government said, ‘How dare you contradict Mao? You are only a little man,'" You-qi told me. The cultural revolution was an attempt to equalize the entire country and return to the roots of communism. "Schools were closed and students were sent to farms to work and be re-educated. It was another experiment went bad. The rampage by over-zealous red guards and out of control citizenry even prompted Mao to call the Red Army. Because of the cultural revolution, a whole generation of youth missed out on their education, production of farms and factories ceased and the whole of China fell behind the industrialized powers of the world. The revolution was not declared officially over until 1977 (www.childlit.com/battledore/collect...al_revintro.htm)

You-qi said that four days before he was arrested he was accused of carrying a banner with anti-Mao statements, which he said he did not do. After watching a movie with his wife he went home and was arrested and later interrogated. Although the individual who was actually carrying the banner was subsequently arrested, the Communist authorities still did not release You-qi. During his interrogation, You-qi was asked what he thought of Mao's policies. According to You-qi, they didn't like his negative, but nonetheless honest, answer. You-qi said he thought that if he just "opened his heart" and was honest he would be released. "I was very young and believed that. I was tricked."

[b]PRISON[/b]
"I will never forget my first night in prison,"You-qi said. From about eight o'clock that evening until sunrise the next morning, he was subject to a barrage of interrogation. He was asked about a variety of topics that included friends, books and movies. The questioning then moved to politics and what You-qi thought about the politics of Mao. You-qi moved the questioning back to his arrest. "I was very mad because I was innocent. I said, ‘You have arrested me for what?' You-qi also went on a hunger strike for three days. He said he was very angry, and described himself at the time as a young man who did not know what it means to be afraid.

You-qi was housed in Ti_lan_Cho, the largest prison in the entire far east area. There were 10 buildings in the prison complex. Each building had six floors with each floor comprising 90 four square meter cells. Each held three or four people. Brainwashing sessions were intensive. You-qi said, "You were told to confess your sins. They said, ‘You need to inspect yourself. Why are you against the communists?' ‘Why are you against Mao?' They wanted you to realize you were wrong." However, there was no winning for prisoners of the system. According to You-qi, while prisoners were tortured if they failed to confess their "sins," they were also tortured if they did. The brainwashing went on every single day with the objective of getting everyone to accept Mao's "reforms." If you did say you were sorry, You-qi said, they didn't believe you.

[b]BEGINNING OF YOU-QI'S RELATIONSHIP WITH WATCHMAN NEE[/b]
You-qi met Nee three years after being incarcerated. He said, "In the beginning, I had a very bad impression of Nee because he was a group leader in the prison. These leaders were known for making negative and petty reports about fellow prisoners. But Nee wasn't one of those. He was a legitimate leader, but I hated the system so I hated him."

You-qi was so initially afraid Nee would take advantage of him that he refused to speak to him. However, You-qi was still greatly impacted by Nee. "It was the way he lived that had a great influence on me," You-qi said. The Lord had plans to being the two men together. While You-qi was in prison, his wife, an educator, was asked to accuse him of being a counter-revolutionary. She was told, "As the wife of a counter-revolutionary you can't be a teacher." Although desperate, You-qi's wife refused to divorce him. She told the authorities, "When I married my husband he was not a counter-revolutionary. If I marry again and my next husband becomes a counter-revolutionary, shall I divorce again?" She was fired from her job for her refusal to comply with the authorities' demand.

On her once-a-month visit, You-qi's wife told him what had been going on. Things had gotten so bad financially that she even had to sell her watch to make a living. This upset You-qi greatly. When the visit was over he went back to his cell and cried, a serious policy violation in prison. "It was strictly prohibited, but I couldn't stop," he said." However, while You-qi was in the depths of despair he suddenly felt Nee gently holding his hand. He told Nee, "I don't want to speak to you. Why are you holding my hand?" Nee said, "Cry out. You will feel better." This surprised You-qi, because as a prison leader Nee shouldn't have allowed him to cry at all. "I cried very loudly for a while before I stopped," You-ai said." Nee's act of kindness initiated the beginning of You-qi's relationship with him.

[b]YOU-QI'S RELATIONSHIP WITH NEE CONTINUES[/b]
While helping You-qi, Nee also had his own difficulties. His wife had seriously high blood pressure. Despite that, You-qi said that Nee never displayed his emotions by yelling.

You-Qi said, "I didn't become a believer because of what he spoke but because of how he lived. Watchman Nee's character was different." You-qi said he also had the opportunity to observe the depth of Nee's faith. "One day the warden asked Nee to see him. A long time after that he came back and leaned on the wall. I asked him, ‘What's happening?' He told me, ‘They asked me to give up my belief. I couldn't do that." However, others who had also been called out with Nee that day did renounce their faith. You-qi said, "It was announced in jail by the warden that they had given up their beliefs and been reformed."

Prisoners could get early release by renouncing their faith. Not being a Christian at the time, You-qi couldn't understand Nee's commitment to his faith. He did, however, know that Nee's wife was very sick. "I asked him, "What sort of person are you that you don't renounce your beliefs so you can go home to your wife?" Nee then shared with You-qi how he became a Christian and how it was impossible for him to renounce his faith. Nee added that she realized he would never get out of prison.

[b]YOU- QI BECOMES A CHRISTIAN[/b]
Over the years You-qi continued to watch Nee and listened carefully to what he told him. He could not recall an exact moment when he first believed, but felt he came to faith over a long period of time, beginning in Ti Lan Qiao during 1963 - 67. He said his experience was deepened significantly when he was reunited with Nee at the prison farm in Anhuei from 1970-72.

You-qi said his demeanor and temperament changed dramatically when he became a believer. He said, "While in the labor farm I was fighting small fights every day and every three days a big fight. After I became a Christian there were no more fights." While the relationship between the two men increased, Nee's health was declining. He had been sick for years, suffering from a chronic stomach disorder as well as a serious heart ailment. Nee died alone in confinement in his cell on May 30 1972. There was no proper notification of his death and no funeral. He was cremated on June 1 of the same year.

According to "Living Stream Ministry," (www.watchmannee.org/life-ministry.html#8),
while prison censorship did not allow Nee to mention the Lord's name in his prison letters, (causing some to wonder over the years whether Nee had renounced his faith), in his final letter written on the day of his death, he referred to his joy in the Lord: "In my sickness, I still remain joyful at heart." In addition, when Nee died there was a note left under his pillow in the prison. It was collected by his niece and read, "Christ is the Son of God who died for the redemption of sinners and resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief in Christ. Watchman Nee." You-qi said, "I was in the labor farm when Nee died. I was very sad. It was a great loss. He was an outstanding man."

[b]AFTER PRISON[/b]
Although the communists cleared You-qi's name and he was released from prison, he received no compensation for the time he spent there. He went to work for a foreign book distributor in Shanghai. He was also reunited with his wife who had become a believer through the ministry of Watchman Nee's wife.

[b]WHY SPEAK OUT NOW?[/b]
Now 67 years old and having spent 20 of those years in prison, You-qi feels that he has a "responsibility" before the Lord to speak out on behalf of Nee, and let people know that despite intense trials his mentor's commitment to the Lord never wavered. You-qi told me, "If I don't speak out, who will? This has become my responsibility and my conscience."

[i][url=http://www.joyjunction.org/bulletin/forums/showthread.php?s=901b0da59ffd26f6db02b69272652d5b&threadid=474&highlight=watchman+nee]taken from joyjunction.com[/url][/i]


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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

 2003/10/24 11:56Profile
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 Re: Wu You-qi - Nee's prison mate for 20 years.

Thanx for posting the info!

Your title is slightly misleading. According to the article, You-qi spent twenty years in prison, of which he spent nine years as Watchman Nee's cell-mate.

Just getting the facts straight. :)


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Sam

 2003/10/24 12:15Profile
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 Re:

Quote:
Your title is slightly misleading. According to the article, You-qi spent twenty years in prison, of which he spent nine years as Watchman Nee's cell-mate.


The title:
[b]Wu You-qi - Nee's prison mate for 20 years.[/b]
[i]has been changed to...[/i]
[b]Wu You-qi - Nee's prison mate for 9 years.[/b]

Thanks for the clarification brother. And getting the facts straight is always a good thing. If I had to go back and correct my theology or understanding on things from 2-3 years ago, I would be a busy man. It's like what Kathryn Kuhlman said once: "Someone asked me to write a book on biblical theology from my perspective, I told him that if I wrote a book on theology this year, I would have to totally change it next year." And that is how it should be, we are always getting deeper and more fresh revelation from the Lord. This new revelation doesn't necessary nullify the ones given before but it sure does give different perspective sometimes.


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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

 2003/10/24 14:04Profile





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