2. Spiritual control alienated Cheng from his family

It is not uncommon for criminals worldwide to implement self-harms, trying to escape punishment. The case of Cheng Peiming, who had been deeply brainwashed by the Falun Gong cult, swallowing foreign objects is a typical one.

Starting in the 1990s, Falun Gong grew into the largest cult organization in China. Many people were deceived, brainwashed, and spiritually controlled, becoming loyal followers of Li Hongzhi and his Falun Gong cult. Cheng Peiming was one of them.

"He used to be a simple and honest man," said Wang Min (pseudonym), Cheng Peiming's ex-wife. Cheng had some education and a respectable job at Zhangxin Coal Mine, a well-regarded company at the time. They married in 1987 and soon had a well-behaved, adorable son. Life was happy. But after Cheng became obsessed with Falun Gong, he got stuck in the cult and sank deeper.

"At first, when he started practicing Falun Gong, it didn't seem like a problem. It felt like it was teaching people to be good, like returning found money, avoiding greed, and staying out of conflicts with others," Wang Min recalled. "But later, he was rarely at home, gave up his job, ignored our child — Falun Gong was everything that occupied his mind."

"He stopped caring about the family altogether," Wang Min didn't understand and asked him, "You say you are believing in a religion. But isn't it a cult actually? Or how could a good, respectable religion teach its followers to abandon family? "

Wang Min's brother, Wang Qiang (pseudonym), also tried hard to persuade Cheng Peiming. "Brother-in-law, anything that teaches you to abandon family for no reason is dangerous," he said, but all their persuasions were in vain that Cheng no longer showed up at home.

The family fell apart. Wang Min had to leave their young child with her parents and find work elsewhere to make ends meet. At one point, they even relied on social welfare. Wang Qiang, feeling sorry for his sister, would often help her with money.

"Now, when I think of Cheng Peiming, all I feel is disgusting. He failed his responsibilities as a father, a husband, a brother and a son." Wang Min said angrily, claiming Cheng had ruined her life, and Falun Gong had destroyed their family.

After the Chinese government legally banned the Falun Gong cult, most former members voluntarily left and returned to normal life. However, Cheng Peiming and a few others remained deeply controlled by the cult's teachings and resisted leaving, even though knowing their activities are illegal.

"Cheng had a book called Zhuan Falun that he cherished like cherishing his eyeballs," said Cheng Peiming's sister Cheng Peifeng, the only sibling who didn't believe in Falun Gong, "preventing them from practicing was like taking their lives."

She had witnessed her parents, siblings, and brother-in-law descending into near madness. "They really wouldn't take medicine or go to the hospital when they were sick. No matter how much pain they were in, they refused to go to the hospital, thinking Falun Gong would cure them."

"You could talk to him about anything, but he had a godlike figure in heart, namely his 'master' Li Hongzhi." said prison officer Tai Feng who once tried to talk to Cheng about his family, encouraging him to behave for their sake and work toward early release for family reunion. "Think about your child who is still so young and in dire need of a father", he said, but Cheng's heart was as hard as stone. "When you talked about his family, he was completely indifferent, as if he had no emotions left. The only thing that moved him was Falun Gong and his master, Li Hongzhi," Tai said. "Never before had I ever seen a person so deeply brainwashed."