In recent years, with China’s economic downturn and deteriorating political environment, thousands of Chinese people have fled their homeland and embarked on risky journeys to the United States, becoming a new force for anti-communism overseas. One such individual is Chinese democracy activist Geng Hongjun, who now resides in Los Angeles after fleeing China, but his family back home continues to face harassment.
On May 18, in Los Angeles, Geng Hongjun shared with The Epoch Times that recently, he and a group of human rights activists from China shot a short film titled “Eradicating the Three Evils of the Emperor,” after which the police visited his family in China and threatened them, warning them to stop participating in the production of the short film.
Geng Hongjun revealed that cameras had been installed in his parents’ home in China, and the police were monitoring them 24 hours a day.
The inspiration for the short film “Eradicating the Three Evils of the Emperor” came from a Taiwanese movie called “Zhou Chu Eradicating the Three Evils,” with its main theme being anti-dictatorship and dismantling the Communist Party’s brainwashing.
Geng Hongjun, the younger brother of the chairman of the Chinese Democratic Party, Geng Guanjun, has been actively participating in various anti-communist activities in Los Angeles since coming to the United States less than a year ago, thereby becoming a new force against communism overseas.
Geng Guanjun himself also organizes anti-communist activities abroad. Before Geng Hongjun left China, he and his family had been oppressed due to their association with his brother.
Geng Hongjun stated, “My brother participated in some anti-communist civil movements in the United States. Since I was implicated by him, my escape from China was quite arduous.”
Originally doing business in Taiyuan, Shanxi, the extreme lockdown by the Chinese Communist Party during the past three years resulted in unbearable living conditions for many, leading to the closure of numerous factories and enterprises. During the pandemic, Geng Hongjun attempted to flee overseas multiple times but was intercepted by the police each time.
He recounted, “The police often followed me in their cars and spoke to me a few times, advising me not to leave. Essentially, they meant I couldn’t leave. At that time, I didn’t believe it. I thought I had all the necessary documents, so how could it be impossible for me to leave?”
Ultimately, Geng Hongjun discovered that indeed he couldn’t leave. Apart from police surveilling him, there was also interception by Chinese customs.
He shared, “I tried to leave from within the country twice, but was intercepted by customs both times and couldn’t leave. Eventually, I tried once more, took mountain roads, escaped from Yunnan to Laos, and then made it out.”
In August last year, after enduring perilous conditions while traversing mountains, Geng Hongjun finally made his way to the United States.
He mentioned, “Originally, when I tried to leave, I planned to bring my daughter with me. The last time, I was uncertain if I could make it, so I left alone. Even the last time, the police car followed me all along. When I was in Yunnan, they caught me once, detained me until midnight, then suddenly released me.”
After Geng Hongjun left the country, the police intensified surveillance on his family.
“My hometown is in Heilongjiang, and I left from Shanxi. Later, my parents planned to return to Heilongjiang because I still have a sister in China. Once the police found out about this, they started accompanying my parents and returned to our hometown. They installed a camera at my parents’ place, taking photos of our home. My parents are also forbidden from leaving the country and are under strict control. They cannot go to Hong Kong or Thailand; every time they attempt to leave, they are stopped by customs.”
Recently, Geng Hongjun’s daughter’s passport expired, and when they tried to renew it, the police refused to process it, providing various excuses.
In China, the Communist Party uses “national security” as a justification to limit certain groups such as human rights lawyers, activists, petitioners, and dissenters from leaving the country, and many individuals are unable to even apply for passports.
In recent years, thousands of Chinese individuals have gone through harrowing experiences and even risked their lives to make their way to the unfamiliar dreamland of America through various countries.
According to statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in 2023, the total number of Chinese individuals caught illegally entering the U.S. from all borders exceeded 52,000, with over 23,000 just from October to December.
In the past, only about 1,500 Chinese people illegally entered the U.S. each year.