Canada: The Power of the "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" Art Exhibition in Vancouver Transcends Cultural and Racial Boundaries

From June 9th to 10th, the "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" art exhibition was held at Kwantlen University College in the city of Surrey. The artworks of more than 10 Falun Dafa practitioners from different countries deeply touched every person who came to the exhibition. While presenting traditional Chinese and Western art, the works also revealed the true stories of Falun Gong practitioners persecuted in China.

An Italian immigrant named Marcella saw a photo of the painting, "Pure Lotus" in a newspaper. She was moved by the serenity and beauty of the painting and decided to come to the exhibition. As the day of the show was also the date that her mother went back to Italy, the whole family packed up her luggage and came to the university very early. To help her mother understand each painting, Marcella interpreted the practitioner's introduction and translated all the descriptions into Italian for her mother. She said that she was a Christian, and that she believed that everyone had to be responsible for everything they did, according to the principle that "good will be rewarded and evil will be punished".

University students view the paintings	Marcella and her mother viewing a painting	An Indian student and her friend

Marcella said that she hadn't known about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. She supported the practitioners' introduction of the beauty of Falun Dafa and revealing the persecution through the medium of art, and believed that these efforts were very necessary. Before the family left, her mother asked seriously, "Why would the Chinese government persecute such a peaceful practice?" She couldn't understand why the Chinese Communist Party would persecute Falun Gong, and she took all the materials that the practitioners provided and said that she would study them back in Italy. Marcella left her contact information and told the practitioners repeatedly that many of her friends couldn't come to see the paintings and that the practitioners should let her know next time they were shown so that she could send her friends over. "The exhibition is so beautiful and valuable," she said.

Many staff and faculty members also came during class breaks. One man wrote in the reception book, "Thank you all so much for bringing this beautiful art exhibition to our campus. In this world, people sometimes forget the existence of human rights violations. However, no one should be persecuted for believing in 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.'" A Taiwanese person wrote, "I wish for justice and peace to prevail in Mainland China."

An Indian representative of the Student Union came to the exhibit hall in a hurry, and she was exceptionally absorbed by the paintings. She delightedly told practitioners that she was attracted to the exhibition hall by a special energy and she saw a white radiance around all the paintings. As she had only very limited time, she rushed to the practitioners and asked if she could buy these paintings so that she could hang some in her room. She left her phone number and email address and told us repeatedly to send her more materials so that she could learn more about Falun Gong and the persecution. She also expressed her interest in learning the practice.

When the exhibition was about to close, three little Western girls came and they exclaimed at the paintings which were leaning against the walls for packing up. Pointing to a canvas entitled "Justice," one girl said, "This is an angel punishing evil."

There were many touching stories that took place during these two days, and we sensed that, despite the differences in race, culture and religious beliefs, everyone could feel the energy and sense the connotation of the paintings as well as the beauty, purity and hope brought by practitioners. With invitations from many faculty members and students, the art exhibition will tour all four campuses of the university.