Toulouse, France: “Art of Zhen Shan Ren” Exhibition Touches Viewers' Hearts

(Minghui.org) The Art of Zhen Shan Ren International exhibition was held in the House of Associations, Toulouse, France from September 12 to 28, 2022.　

In the exhibition hall which is the size of 300 square meters, 69 paintings documenting numerous stories about the practice of Falun Gong and the persecution it faces in China were put on display. 

The stories touched several viewers' hearts. They had tears in their eyes. Some viewers said that paintings were more expressive than words and that they felt the emotions of the artists through their works. 

The French newspaper Ladepeche published an article titled “Exhibition that takes you to the core of the Art of Zhen Shan Ren” on its website on September 23, 2022. The article introduced Falun Gong and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The article also stated that the art exhibition was held throughout the world, showing the beauty of Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) and conveys a message of peace.

Screenshot of the website of French newspaper Ladepeche publishing an article titled “Exhibition that takes you to the core of the Art of Zhen Shan Ren” on September 23.

The Art of Zhen Shan Ren exhibition in the House of Associations, Toulouse

Lawyer Emmanuelle Dessart attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition. “The exhibition is amazing,” she said. “On the one hand, it is the beauty within practitioners. They practice their belief [Falun Gong] and exude happiness and peaceful energy. On the other hand, they experience hardship and violence. The painting shows everything – a look, a tear, pain - it's really impressive. I’m happy to discover such talent, and at the same time I'm stunned that in today's China, people cannot have such beliefs, nor can they cultivate.”

Lawyer Emmanuelle Dessart

Thierry Perchaud has traveled to China many times for his job, and the posters for the art exhibition drew his attention. At the exhibition, he was appalled to hear about the torture suffered by Falun Gong practitioners. He said, “I thought I knew a lot about what was going on throughout the world in 2022. However, taking organs from other people against their will is something that shouldn’t happen. It’s unacceptable, no matter who the person is or what race, people can’t kill to save someone else’s life.”

Isabelle Vrabel, a qigong practitioner, said, “I was drawn to the paintings, which are beautiful, and sometimes astonishingly realistic. This persecution is really a shock, a wake-up call for people's consciences.”

Ms. Vrabel said, “I didn’t know anything about this practice [Falun Gong] at all. It looks very soothing. It is a new discovery. I feel that Falun Gong is powerful. I am impacted in many ways, from history, art, and cultivation, to its [Falun Dafa's] principles. I think I would like it very much.”

Pape N’Diaye Amath

Senegalese musician Pape N'Diaye Amath said, “Please make it known to as many people as possible. I was impressed by the authenticity of the paintings.”

He went on to say, “I didn’t know Falun Gong before. We should promote it as much as possible. The paintings I saw show beauty and authenticity. I thank the artists for conveying this message.”

In the last exhibition hall, a woman wept, saying she was touched by the exhibition. A week later, she visited the exhibition again and bought the introductory Falun Dafa book Falun Gong.

Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises have experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheist ideology and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.

Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override police and judicial systems. and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Gong.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution that went on for the past 23 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.