Suffering, Love, and Hope: The Legendary Story of a Female Designer

Founder and designer of Mingxin Art Studio, Mi Xiaozheng, personally witnessed a series of miracles. (Composite photo by The Dajiyuan)

[People News] She walked through hardship and suffering, yet found love and happiness—and personally witnessed miracles. “I can always feel blessings and encouragement from Heaven,” she says. Thus, praising the Creator and conveying gratitude and kindness became her sacred mission.

The Miracle of Cultivation

Mi Xiaozheng, a native of Hebei, grew up under strict parental supervision. To enter her dream university and achieve a successful life, she studied late into the night, leading to massive hair loss and dark circles under her eyes. In middle school, classmates teased her for looking like an aged little old woman.

In September 1996, she entered the Department of Architecture at Chongqing Jianzhu University (later merged into Chongqing University). During her junior year, she began practicing Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong). The principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance deeply moved her. She realized that studying was not only for her own benefit but also a duty to others and to society.

Unexpectedly, during the second semester after she began cultivation, her grades soared to the top of her class—something she had never achieved before. She knew this was no coincidence—it was Falun Dafa that opened her wisdom and intellect, a true miracle.

Purgatory of Suffering

But the good times didn’t last. In July 1999, the Chinese Communist regime began its full-scale suppression of Falun Gong.

Her education and faith were forced into a false “either-or” choice. Though she was top of her class at a prestigious university, she lost her studies. Over the next 14 years, she endured six illegal detentions, beatings, and sleep deprivation torture.

She was arrested on Tiananmen Square and subjected to horrific sexual humiliation—at barely twenty years old. She was threatened: “If you’re beaten to death, it’ll be counted as suicide. We’ll throw your body in a sack and bury you—no one will ever know.”

Twice she was detained in Hebei “brainwashing centers”, once for four months and once for a year, enduring long-term sleep deprivation, beatings, and forced drinking. Her hearing was damaged, and her hair fell out again in large amounts.

She recalled being forced to give blood samples:

“These so-called ‘legal education centers’ illegally detained Falun Gong practitioners and drew their blood without any medical reason.”

Given that many fellow practitioners she knew were persecuted to death, she suspected that this blood collection was used for live organ harvesting databases.

(Photo of Mi Xiaozheng, provided by herself)

She became homeless multiple times, enduring the loneliness of “losing her home” and being “forsaken by all.”

Even after 14 years of hellish torment, she never abandoned her faith or righteousness.

Encountering True Love

At her darkest moment, she kept walking alone. Around 2007, several suitors quietly left after learning about her persecution, seemingly afraid to step into “turbulent waters.”

(Photo of Mi Xiaozheng and her husband, Ming Tao, provided by herself)

Then came Ming Tao, a calm and rational office worker, who noticed the woman with determined yet tender eyes. Though he did not share her faith at the time, he was moved by her strength and integrity. He was willing to shoulder the pressure she faced for her belief, silently protecting her through adversity.

After all trials, Mi Xiaozheng found her true gold among the sand. The two married, embodying the true meaning of grace (en) and righteousness (yi).

During every “sensitive date” in China, Ming Tao would personally drive her to and from work, even following her from afar to ensure safety. When the CCP’s agents harassed them, he stood in front to protect her and rebuked the persecutors.

In 2013, their family left China. In a park in America, their son laughed on the swings as the wind and sunlight gently brushed over him—a warm closing line to their long years of darkness.

At first, Ming Tao did not practice Falun Dafa himself, but he wholeheartedly supported his wife and son’s cultivation. One day, when his young son struggled to meditate, Ming Tao sat down to meditate with him. His son suddenly said, “Dad, there’s a rainbow behind your head,” describing its shape and position in detail.

This experience led Ming Tao to begin cultivation, and over the following years, he too witnessed many miracles and felt deep gratitude.

Dream Home

(Photo of Mi Xiaozheng’s home and Mingxin Art Studio, provided by herself)

In 2017, they decided to buy a house. While house-hunting in suburban New York, Mi suddenly thought, “Let’s find one for just tens of thousands!” Miraculously, they soon found such a house. The viewing took only ten minutes, and she later realized, “This house was perfect for us.”

Today, the home is worth around $300,000, though it never seemed possible to buy it for $60,000 back then. Friends marveled:

“You’ve dedicated so much to public good, never living just for yourself—yet Heaven’s blessings on you are endless.”

Ming Tao added gratefully:

“Everything was arranged perfectly. The timing of selling our home in China worked out so that we had just enough—about $100,000—to buy, renovate, and furnish this house and even a car. It was like a miracle.”

Mi described it as “a gift from Heaven.”

She believes their home is “blessed by the divine”—“The location is ideal, gentle deer roam the yard, and birds nest under the eaves and sing.”

The Birth of Mingxin Art Studio

In this house filled with miracles and love, Mi followed her creative calling and founded her dream workshop—Mingxin Art Studio (MXZ Studios)—launching a unique miniature-model series on the “Ganjing World” platform showcasing traditional aesthetics.

She painted the walls, renovated the basement, and designed and built furniture—all by herself. Though she had never done such labor before, she completed almost every task smoothly—another miracle.

She said the previous owner had left behind 30-year-old construction materials: every plank and nail seemed divinely arranged to fit perfectly, saving costs while achieving artistic harmony.

Friends, astonished at how she transformed an old basement into a bright studio, urged her to record the process. Thus, the video series “Dream Studio” was born.

Every shot and every corner of the series carried divine blessings, filling her with gratitude.

“Each filming, each creation feels like walking with the divine—every detail has profound meaning.”

The Filming Miracle

Her first real-life filming was itself a miracle. It was at a reenactment of George Washington crossing the Delaware River, an iconic moment in U.S. history.

She barely knew how to use her new camera, having only learned basic settings online, with experience limited to pressing a point-and-shoot button.

At the event, she recalled:

“Maybe I was connected to that history—I wept several times for no reason. Seeing soldiers in 18th-century uniforms moved me deeply. I just kept pressing the shutter. Though untrained, it felt like divine guidance.”

Originally seated far from the action, she somehow ended up at the riverbank among credentialed photographers. Security didn’t stop her—instead, they protected her. Even when her camera battery should have died, she miraculously kept filming until the end.

The images she captured amazed everyone. Major media outlets requested her footage. A professional photographer said, “These don’t look like a beginner’s work—the composition, lighting, and angles are all excellent. Some are shots professionals struggle to get.”

Listening to their praise, Mi felt as if God Himself was teaching her the principles of photography. Friends said, “God is directly teaching you.”

Some even doubted she had taken them herself. Mi replied:

“Indeed, they’re not by me alone—they’re works made walking with the divine.”

She added,“Everything is a gift! What did I do? Maybe just a small wish—a little righteous thought.”

Thus, in the very first frame of her “Mingxin Art Studio” channel, she wrote:“My greatest gratitude and reverence to the Creator—for His boundless grace and enlightenment.”

Her Words of Reflection

In a materialistic and restless society, she wrote a self-reminder titled “The Measuring Cord” (Sheng Chi):

Appearance is like clothing—bright for a moment, feeding vanity;
Wealth is like floating clouds—gathering and dispersing uncertainly;
Talent is the tree’s branches—not its root.

Without virtue, skill is but trickery; with virtue, it is true talent.
If you have all three, do not boast.
A dignified appearance, wealth not sought, and ability grounded in virtue—
that is the proper path one should take.

(Reprinted from The Dajiyuan) △