Australia: "Seeds of Compassion" Art Exhibit in Melbourne Meets with Great Success (Photos)

At 11:00 a.m. on August 11, 2002, after more than three months' preparation, the two-day "Seeds of Compassion" Art Exhibit officially commenced in Melbourne's City Hall. The exhibition highlighted Australian Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhang Cuiying's paintings, and gained support and cooperation from the city government, celebrities from Chinese community, artists and human rights activists. Both Western and Chinese visitors gave a positive response. Many people had the opportunity to learn more and clarify any misunderstandings they may have had about Falun Dafa.

The Spectacular Exhibition Hall

At 3:00 p.m., the opening ceremony of the art exhibition began. The hall of nearly 300 square meters was crowded with visitors. More than 200 chairs were occupied. Visitors coming later had to stand at the gate. The atmosphere in the brightly lit hall was warm and harmonious, and all were immersed in the beautiful experiences the art exhibition brought to them. A gentleman who was nearly 70 years old, a famous person in the Chinese community that has held more than 100 exhibitions in Australia, was very impressed after attending the opening ceremony. The next day he invited a respected senior in the local Chinese community, over ninety years old, to visit the exhibition. He said to Ms. Zhang, "When very famous Chinese painters come to Melbourne to hold exhibitions, the number of visitors who come are usually only a quarter of the number at this exhibition. But frankly speaking, this is not just due to your skill, you should thank those heroes behind."

When the host introduced Ms. Zhang Cuiying by saying, "She has mastered an international language, because she bears great truthfulness and great compassion and held steadfast belief and determination while in tribulations," the audience gave a round of applause.

A singer changed her prepared songs on the spot. She said, "I think you forgot to mention, the theme of the exhibition is Faith. So I'll sing two songs related to faith..." The representative from Amnesty International reiterated her condemnation of Jiang Zemin regime's "systematic, state-sanctioned" persecution of Falun Gong, and she also emphasized the importance of sowing "seeds of compassion" in today's world. Chairperson of a Women's Trust Foundation said in her speech that her strength comes from her inner harmony and compassion, "I should be compassionate, but not impulsive."

Representative of Amnesty International, Robyn Kilpatrick	Chairperson of a Women's Trust Foundation, Dura Dara
Reception room of "Seeds of Compassion"	Young practitioners perform the "Lotus" dance
Singer Samantha Potter sings	Dance "Heavenly girl"

Visitors learned the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong, and when they appreciated the goodness and beauty expressed in the paintings of Ms. Zhang who is a Falun Gong practitioner, many people changed their negative attitude towards Falun Dafa. A woman said, "I can't imagine a person who suffered eight months in jail can draw such serene and beautiful pictures. Why doesn't she feel hatred and indignation in her heart?" When a practitioner explained to her that cultivating "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" enables a person to reach the compassionate realm, she said, "This is really inspiring!"

Almost every visitor happily took our free bookmarks with information about Ms. Zhang Cuiying and her paintings. Many people wrote on the guest book their appreciation and support for us. Some asked how to join the voluntary group of "Seeds of Compassion." A Chinese association officially expressed that they hoped they could sponsor some of Zhang Cuiying's painting exhibitions in Australia.

The theme of "Seeds of compassion" art exhibition was very impressive as it not only arouses people's yearning for goodness and beauty, but also removes the precautions of the Chinese people who have been poisoned by Jiang Zemin regime's fabricated rumours since it launched the brutal persecution of Falun Dafa three years ago. On the other hand, our idea of using art to convey harmony, kindness and tolerance that transcend cultural and racial boundary easily gained understanding and support from the Australian society that emphasizes multi-cultural principles. The practitioners who made preparations for the art exhibition communicated with the government, the media and different groups as volunteers of "Seeds of Compassion." We voluntarily served the community and we produced different promoting information to cater to different groups. As a result, the city government of Melbourne allowed us to use the city hall for a day free of charge; typographers, food business mangers and the media sponsored us; the Human Rights organization, the government representatives and local artists and singers also gave us their support. The local Chinese TV Station conducted on-the-spot interview with us about the art exhibition twice in both Cantonese and Mandarin before the exhibition began. We also had advertisements printed in the local English and Chinese newspapers, and printed elegant posters and admission tickets with words "Proudly Sponsored by the City of Melbourne" on them. Moreover, the practitioners put their hearts into this task and everyone did what they should do: some contacted government departments; some sent invitation letters; some contacted the art circles, the media; some contacted different communities and schools; some carefully designed and prepared information and materials; some distributed materials; some passed out free admission tickets to passers-by in the cold weather. ... It's no wonder that the elderly Chinese man acclaimed that a success needs many "heroes behind."

The practitioners also realized that when we are truly able to form one entity in this activity, the mighty power of Dafa manifests itself.