On the opening day, the sun shone over the beautiful cultural centre where the exhibition was held, which is located in the very centre of the city of Athens. The building entrance was decorated with flowers and a fountain that created a beautiful welcome for the visitors to the exhibition. Together with the paintings of Zhang Cuiying, one could feel the harmonious energy field in the building.
Over one hundred VIPs were invited by the mayor of Athens to attend the exhibition. They were people from all walks, such as professors, artists, financial managers, business leaders, diplomats, government officials and also journalists, as well as celebrities from different organisations within culture, environment, human rights, art, tourism etc. The guests were impressed by the paintings as well as the arrangement and decoration of the hall. Every painting was placed with a lot of thought, matching one another and fitting in with the environment harmoniously.
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Co-sponsor of the exhibition Mr. Michael Ghiolman, made an opening speech to welcome all the VIPs. He is a Member of the Greek Parliament, as well as President of the Greek Confederation of Organisations in Culture, Ecology and Environment. He mentioned that this is the first time that Zhang Cuiying has exhibited her paintings in Athens, which is the 100th city in the world to hold her exhibition. He also mentioned about how nice he finds Falun Dafa, and described how the artist Zhang Cuiying was tortured in China because she is a Dafa practitioner. President of the famous Andrea Lendtakis Foundation and former vice mayor of Athens, Mrs. Eifi Lendtakis, said in her speech: “I had come to know some time ago about the persecution against Falun Gong in China. Today, I have had the chance to talk to Zhang Cuiying directly and this makes me even more determined to continue my work for human rights.”
A spokesperson for Falun Dafa thanked the city of Athens, the cultural centre, the Confederation of Culture and Environment and many other Greek personalities for making this exhibition a reality. He also described the characteristics of the traditional Chinese paintings of Zhang Cuiying, the practice of Falun Dafa and the persecution against Falun Dafa in China. Zhang Cuiying told the guests about her experience in suffering from torture in a Chinese labour camp and appealed to all good-hearted people to help rescue those who are still persecuted in China. All guests applauded strongly to show their support and sympathy for practitioners of Falun Dafa.
During the ten days of the exhibition, numerous visitors, including journalists from TV and radio, came daily. Many visitors showed an interest in learning more about Falun Dafa. They said they liked the teachings. Perhaps the wisdom of the Ancient Greek philosophers left many people in Greece with a strong connection to Dafa.
The Mayor of Athens was abroad for an official visit. To show her appreciation, she arranged an official reception at the Mayor’s Office, hosted by the Deputy Mayor. In the ceremony, the Deputy Mayor thanked Zhang Cuiying for bringing her art to Athens and expressed her interest in traditional Chinese paintings. As a thank you to the city of Athens, Zhang Cuiying gave one of her original paintings to the city and wished all the best for the future of Athens and Greece. Journalists and other celebrities from the city of Athens were also present at the reception ceremony.
To see Miss Zhang Cuiying's paintings, please visit www.zhangcuiying.org
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