By Xiao Ran, Vision Times
On a crisp winter day in Toronto, we sat down with Ms. Wang Jinju to learn about her remarkable story. Despite being in her seventies, she moves with remarkable agility and radiates an undeniable vitality.
Once a celebrated figure in Chinese basketball, Wang is now a devoted volunteer promoting Shen Yun Performing Arts. Her life has been a testament to resilience — transitioning from soldier to athlete, coach to civilian, poverty to wealth, and from the pursuit of fame to the depths of despair. After facing persecution for her faith, enduring three arrests by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and overcoming severe illness, Wang’s story is one of extraordinary transformation.
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Paralyzed but reborn
Born in 1948 to a poor farming family from Shandong, Wang Jinju was the seventh of eight siblings. As a child, she endured the Great Famine and was later taken by her sister to Northeast China, where she worked in a factory as the youngest laborer there. At 19, her exceptional athletic talent earned her a spot on the military basketball team, eventually leading her to become head coach of the Jinan Military Region women’s team.
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Over the next decade, she accumulated numerous accolades, but years of intense training left her with serious health complications.
In the 1980s, Wang transitioned to civilian life, becoming Vice President of a Beijing film and television company. Her business flourished, granting her a luxurious lifestyle — a spacious home, a high-end car, and even a personal chauffeur. She also lifted her mother and relatives from poverty, ensuring a better life for her family.
However, life took a devastating turn. In 1995, at the height of her career, she was suddenly paralyzed. Friends and family carried her from one doctor to another, desperately seeking a cure, but nothing worked. Bedridden and consumed by fear and despair, she realized that no amount of wealth could restore her health.
In 1996, a friend gave her a copy of “Zhuan Falun” and told her about people who had recovered from severe illnesses through practicing Falun Gong. Wang read the book in one sitting and decided to give it a try. Miraculously, within a month, she was not only able to stand but moved with newfound energy. The experience transformed her.
“Falun Dafa not only gave me a second life but also helped me understand the true meaning of life. I’ve never felt so grounded and at peace,” she said.
Her remarkable recovery inspired many of her friends and relatives to take up the practice. She even returned to her former military unit to introduce Falun Dafa to her comrades and superiors. “No amount of gold could compare to the blessing of Falun Dafa — it’s the greatest gift one can receive!” she said.
Discovering Shen Yun: A spiritual home
In 2004, Wang immigrated to Canada. Three years later, she attended her first Shen Yun performance in Toronto — an experience that profoundly moved her. “For the first time, I felt truly proud to be Chinese! I realized how vast and profound our divinely inspired culture is,” she said. “Every Shen Yun performance captivated me—it was simply magnificent! I was deeply touched by the compassion and grandeur of traditional Chinese culture.”
That experience became a turning point in her life. From then on, she attended Shen Yun performances every year and volunteered to promote the show, seeing it as a great honor.
“I put up posters, handed out Shen Yun flyers door to door, protected Shen Yun tour buses from CCP agents, and even traveled to nearby countries to help promote the performances,” she said.
Wang dreams of the day when Shen Yun can perform in China. Founded in 2006 and based in New York, Shen Yun has since expanded from a single troupe to eight equally-sized troupes that tour and perform across the globe simultaneously. But while the performing arts company aims to showcase the beauty and tradition of ancient China prior to the ravages of communism, it is unable to perform there due to many of its performers being Falun Gong practitioners — a spiritual discipline that has been relentlessly persecuted in China since 1999.
“How wonderful it would be if millions of our fellow Chinese could witness Shen Yun,” said Wang. “The CCP has blinded people with lies, making them afraid to embrace their own traditions and preventing the world from seeing the greatness of traditional Chinese culture.”
Spreading the Truth
Beyond promoting Shen Yun, Wang has spent years at Niagara Falls and other tourist sites, speaking to visitors — many of them Chinese tourists from the mainland — about the truth of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa. “Falun Gong saved my life, and I made a vow to share the truth with the world,” she said.
She tells people that Falun Gong is practiced in over 150 countries, has received more than 5,000 awards, and that Zhuan Falun has been translated into over 50 languages.
“If Falun Gong is so dangerous, why haven’t there been self-immolations or suicides in all these countries? On the contrary, many governments celebrate ‘World Falun Dafa Day’ on May 13th, raising flags to honor Master Li Hongzhi for bringing blessings to humanity.”
Through her interactions, Wang said she has witnessed remarkable changes in people. “Some people initially approach me with skepticism or even hostility, but after hearing my story, they become more open, even expressing their support,” she said.
These encounters reinforce her belief that truth can break through prejudice and awaken kindness in people’s hearts.
Pressing forward
Wang frequently speaks out about the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong, including how the regime staged the infamous “Tiananmen self-immolation” hoax to frame practitioners. Even her family members have suffered deeply for their faith, she said.
Her second eldest sister, Wang Jinliang, a supply and marketing accountant, was sentenced to eight years in prison for refusing to renounce Falun Gong. Her younger sister, Wang Jinxiang, a former national-level volleyball coach, protested on Tiananmen Square, shouting, “Falun Dafa is good!” She was arrested multiple times, sentenced to forced labor, and injected with toxic drugs three times. She died in her early fifties due to the torture and abuse she suffered at the hands of Chinese police.
Recalling her family’s suffering, Wang’s eyes flicker with sorrow, but her resolve remains unshaken. “Their perseverance only strengthens my belief that this path is right. I have no regrets about choosing a faith based on Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance because we are standing up for conscience and justice,” she shared.
Wang hopes that through her efforts, more people will see the truth about the CCP’s persecution and speak up for those who cannot. Now in her seventies, Wang continues her mission as a volunteer in Toronto, helping Chinese citizens renounce their ties to the CCP — no matter the weather and no matter the obstacles.
“Spreading the truth is my mission, and no matter how difficult it gets, I will never give up,” she said. Wang also firmly believes that every individual has the ability to discern the truth. “As long as we don’t lose hope, truth will prevail over lies, and justice will triumph in the end.”
