[Minghui Net] Australian Falun Dafa practitioner, painter Zhang Cuiying, is holding a three-day exhibition of her paintings in Sydney's City Hall, May 9 through May 11. Today is the first day. At 10:30 AM, the Representative of Bankstown City, where Zhang Cuiying lives, made an opening address for the exhibition. He said, "As a Representative of Bankstown, I have known about the abuses suffered by Ms. Zhang when she was in China. However, what I didn't know is her talent as a painter. Had I known earlier, and had all of the Representatives of Bankstown known she is not only a Falun Gong practitioner but also a talented painter, we would have taken stronger actions to rescue her. That way, she might have suffered less persecution and her days of being tortured would have ended sooner. After seeing her paintings, I really feel that her paintings are the manifestation of Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance. I think Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance are principles that everyone should follow. In today's society, we especially need Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance. I am sure I will attend your World Falun Dafa Day activities on Sunday."
After the opening ceremony, reporters from Agence France-Presse (AFP) and some local Chinese media interviewed Ms. Zhang and took many pictures. The AFP reporter said, "About China, I am only interested in reporting on two issues, the suppression of Falun Gong and the situation in Tibet. The Chinese (Jiang Zemin) government does not treat its citizens as human beings. They do whatever they want to do. The word 'evil' does not even begin to describe their behavior. It is more evil than evil." The reporters from the Chinese media also noted in detail the persecution that Ms. Zhang experienced.
There were also many pictures about Falun Dafa displayed in the gallery together with her paintings. The pictures covered topics such as the benefits that Falun Gong has brought to tens of millions of people, the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, and the peaceful appeals to the world.
The exhibition has two major objectives. One is to provide the public an opportunity to see the character of Dafa practitioners. The other is to appeal to the government officials, media, and goodhearted people everywhere. We want to let them know that we need their support to uphold justice and protect human rights. In today's China, there are still many practitioners like Zhang Cuiying who are being persecuted, tortured, and facing the threat of death.
We expect more people will attend Ms. Zhang's exhibition and more media will cover this event in the next two days.
Reported by Australian practitioners on 5/10/2001
Category: April 25 Events
