(Clearwisdom.net) Canberra is the capital of Australia, and the youngest city on the continent. It is not only the political center of Australia but also a city of culture, education and research. The city has the highest ratio of population with higher education and the highest average family income. Canberra is also one of those cities in Australia that has four distinct seasons. Starting from September (springtime), more and more domestic and foreign visitors tour the city and see the beautiful flowers.
During a weekend flower festival, Falun Gong practitioners distributed leaflets to clarify the truth of Falun Gong and the persecution. The last day of the festival was Sunday, October 17, 2004. Canberra practitioners invited the practitioners from Sydney to stage an anti-torture exhibition, so the Sydney practitioners drove 300 km and brought with them the demonstration devices and stage props. The practitioners from the two cities cooperated with each other. Some practitioners willingly became the "actors" under the torture devices, some demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises, and the others distributed flyers and answered questions, and collected signatures in support of Falun Gong.
Group exercise practice | Passers-by sign to support the petition to rescue Chinese Falun Gong practitioners | Passers-by sign to support the petition to rescue Chinese Falun Gong practitioners |
A practitioner explains the torture reenactment to three visitors | Dai Zhizhen talked about her own experiences of being persecuted in China | A passer-by read the display board carefully |
Torture reenactment 1 | Torture reenactment 2 | Torture reenactment 3 |
Canberra is not as crowded as Sydney where there is a lot of traffic. But no matter what nationality, passers-by stopped by the torture reenactment and asked for more details. In order to let the people know more about the persecution in China, the practitioners played a recorded introduction, and Western practitioners introduced the practice. They discussed the persecution in China by Jiang's faction, and how the regime has extended the persecution to overseas countries, culminating in the shooting of practitioner David Liang in South Africa. Practitioners told how in Sydney, practitioner's homes were robbed and cars damaged. Seeing the live torture reenactments, the visitors could easily understand the truth about Chinese practitioners being persecuted and tortured.
A young tourist from Spain knew nothing about the persecution in China. A Western practitioner first introduced to him what Falun Gong is, including a brief discussion of the five years of persecution in China. The young man asked what he could do to help. The practitioner said that there were many ways to help, such as writing letter to his government, or writing letters to the Chinese Embassy in Spain. It was obvious that the young man was angry at the actions of Jiang's regime. He then asked what "Truthfulness Compassion Forbearance" is. The practitioner explained the meaning of every word to him. The tourist said that the principle is very good; it is fair-minded to be moral, and a moral person is a good person. This young person said he would write to the Prime Minister of Spain and the Chinese Embassy in Spain, calling for the end to the persecution.
A local man said he was interested in Falun Gong and had learned a little about the Jiang faction's brutality. When he came to the torture reenactment and read the display boards, he was shocked at the extent of the tortures. He said that he wanted to learn Falun Gong and asked for information on where it is being taught.
A man from Afghanistan who had immigrated to Australia as a ten-year-old said that he knew how dictators persecuted their people. He said he lived nearby and would be willing to help.
A middle-aged woman read the display board for some time. She was shocked and sad at the tortures and persecution. A practitioner approached her and asked if she would sign her name to support the rescue efforts. She said "yes" and asked what else she could do to help stop the persecution. The practitioner told her that she could write to her local representative about what is happening in China. The woman said she would and said that she very much wanted to help the Falun Gong practitioners.
Three boys aged 15, 13, and 10 years old came to the torture reenactment. A practitioner asked them if they knew about Falun Gong. They said they didn't, so the practitioners introduced Falun Gong to them and told them of the Jiang regime's persecution and torture of Falun Gong practitioners in China, simply because they believe in "Truthfulness Compassion Forbearance." The three boys felt sad. A practitioner asked them if they would sign their names to support the rescue efforts. All of them willingly signed their names.
The Anti-torture Exhibition completed successfully at 4 p.m. Many people learned the truth that day.