Bulgaria: Falun Gong Practitioners Successfully Hold a Painting Exhibition

Last week the Chinese embassy blocked a painting exhibition of Zhang Cuiying, a traditional Chinese artist and Falun Gong practitioner. After this was revealed to the public, many Bulgarian MPs, citizens and journalists condemned the Chinese embassy’s behaviour. With justice on her side, Ms. Zhang’s painting exhibition was successfully held at the Capital Gallery. This created an enthusiastic response from the public, the media and parliament members.

Snezhina Chipeva MP on the far right

Two MPs attended the exhibition, including Mrs. Snezhina Chipeva MP who supported the exhibition from the beginning. “Falun Gong”, “Truthfulness, Benevolence, Forbearance” and “the Chinese embassy blocking an art exhibition” were suddenly on everyone's lips in Bulgaria. Falun Gong was even more of a hot topic after the media reported that artist Zhang Cuiying had launched a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin.

On the morning of the exhibition opening, local Falun Gong practitioners and Zhang Cuiying held a press conference. Many media organisations attended, including the International Bulgarian Radio Station. During the conference, Zhang Cuiying and Falun Gong practitioners made an announcement that the painting exhibition would reopen and exposed the Chinese regime's attempts to extend its persecution of Falun Gong to Bulgaria. In her speech, Ms Zhang cited Master Li Hongzhi’s words: “Fine art is very important to mankind. Like other forms of human culture, it can play a guiding role with respect to people's concepts in human society, influencing mankind's aesthetic values. The concepts of ‘what is aesthetic’ and ‘what is the appropriate sense of beauty that people should have’ are closely related to mankind's moral foundation and standards”(Teaching the Fa at the Discussion on Creating Fine Art). She went on to say, “Therefore, I paint pure and graceful Chinese paintings and have held exhibitions at hundreds of cities in over forty countries to introduce traditional Chinese culture and to spread the principles of Falun Gong: “Truthfulness, Benevolence and Forbearance”. Wherever I go, I have received warm welcomes and admiration from the public with support and praise from many governments, leaders of countries and MPs. However, viciousness is scared of justice and the truth.”

Reporters from Bulgaria's International Radio Station interviewed Zhang Cuiying. She revealed how she had just arrived from Spain a few days before where the famous lawyer Mr. Carlos Iglesias represented her and other practitioners in filing a criminal lawsuit against the former Chinese president, Jiang Zemin, and the head of the “610” Office, Luo Gan. The lawsuit was filed at the Spanish State Court and was based on Jiang and Luo's crimes of torture and genocide.

The Radio Station broadcasted the contents of this interview and Ms. Zhang’s speech at the press conference throughout the whole of Bulgaria and many more people heard about the Chinese embassy's ridiculous behaviour.

Chinese version available at http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200310/25245.html