Italy: Introducing Falun Gong to the People of Cavriglia Township

Situated in a hilly area between Florence and Siena, Cavriglia is a small township famous for the production of grape wine.

Demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises	Children are happy to learn how to fold paper lotus flowers

On October 21st and 22nd, 2006, Italian Falun Gong practitioners were invited to participate in the “Autumn Festival” activities in Cavriglia Township. During this traditional festival, many booths were set up to sell chestnuts, grapes and other local specialties. In the meantime, people could enjoy a concert and take a hydrogen balloon ride. With the wonderful activities, many local people and those from adjacent areas were attracted to participate in the event.

With help from the Deputy Mayor and other city government officials, Falun Gong practitioners set up their booth at the best location in the square in the downtown area. The municipal government provided a huge sunshade umbrella and two tables for the practitioners. The practitioners put some leaflets and banners on the tables. Some practitioners practiced the exercises quietly, while others explained the facts about the Chinese Communist regime’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and the great wave of withdrawals from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organisations after the Epoch Times newspaper published its editorial series entitled “Nine Commentaries on the CCP.”

On Sunday, the number of visitors was especially large. They were shocked by the recently exposed atrocities that the Chinese Communist regime harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. They were concerned about this incident very much. Many local residents asked for more information about the persecution, and wanted to learn the Falun Gong exercises. Some youngsters sat on the ground to learn the meditation on the spot, which really surprised their parents. They also asked for the information about local practice sites so as to practice the exercises with other practitioners.

With the Falun Gong great principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance,” the peaceful exercises and exercise music, the practitioners established a wonderful relationship with the people in Cavriglia.