(Clearwisdom.net) The Truth-Compassion-Forbearance International Art Exhibition sponsored by the US Southwestern Falun Dafa Association was held at the Chinese Cultural Center in Los Angeles on April 3, 2010.
Title: A Tragedy in China
The exhibition included 35 paintings, the subjects of many of them taken from real life events. Through traditional painting technique, the artists present the beauty of Falun Gong cultivation practice and the uncompromising spirit of the many Falun Gong practitioners in the face of the persecution taking place in China.
In his remarks during the opening ceremony, Mr. Chang-sheng Chiu, Deputy Director of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Service Center in Los Angeles, said that it was a touching exhibition that truly impressed him. He said that a country cannot progress without democracy and the rule of law. But the power of belief can teach people kindness, and that complements law and politics. In Mr. Chiu's opinion, the Truth-Compassion-Forbearance International Art Exhibition is like a bright light that illuminates the world and inspires people to live positively.
Mr. Youfu Li, Director of the US Southwestern Falun Dafa Association, said in his speech, "To neutralize the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) evil system, more people need to know the facts. This exhibition helps to spread the facts of the persecution of Falun Gong in China so that everyone is aware of the issue. Whether you are involved in politics, business, or other professions, when you know the facts, that is significant."
Mr. Jin Zhang, an advisor for Chinese affairs in Los Angeles, said after seeing the paintings, "I have been in the US for 27 years and it is my first time to see such outstanding paintings. I never realized that Falun Gong practitioners suffered such brutal torture...."
Practitioner Lu Tian told how her husband, Ceng Rixu, and his lawyer, Wang Yong, were sentenced to imprisonment, her husband to three years and Mr. Wang to seven, and that both of them are now in prison. In response, Mr. Zhang said, "I've heard about the persecution before, but I never thought that I would be standing next to a victim of this persecution. It is painful. I am a Christian, not a Falun Gong practitioner, but I also believe in kindness and safeguarding justice. I wish that the persecution would stop immediately."
Mr. Shengsheng Wang, director of the US Confucius and Mencius Society, praised the paintings after viewing them. He said, "It is the first time for me to see such high caliber art. Truth-Compassion-Forbearance is a great belief, which is open and free in Taiwan. Practicing Falun Gong is beneficial to health, and practitioners improve themselves gradually by following Truth-Compassion-Forbearance. The art exhibition brings diversity to the world."
Ms. Zhang, a visitor to the exhibition, said after seeing the paintings, "I am not sure how to express my feelings. Practicing Falun Gong is a good thing, but the CCP will not allow the practitioners to have their own belief. The persecution is evil. I am so sad after seeing the painting depicting the tortures that practitioners have suffered." Ms. Zhang was pleased to hear that the US House of Representatives passed Resolution 605 calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong. She said, "The persecution is inhumane."
