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Zhang Cuiying's Painting Exhibition Extensively Reported by Latvian Media

July 4, 2002 |   By A Latvian Practitioner

(Clearwisdom.net) A two-day exhibition of Zhang Cuiying's paintings successfully ended today (26 June) in the Museum of Riga, the capital of Latvia. Objective reports exposing the persecution in China and portraying Chinese traditional art entered the homes of tens thousands of families in Riga one after another through the local newspapers. The powerful and intensive reporting from TV and radio stations that Falun Gong practitioners were being persecuted in China attracted an audience of hundreds of thousands.

An old man of more than seventy went to the painting exhibition after reading the reports. He said that he had seen these kinds of paintings in China thirty years ago. Today, thirty years later, was the first time he had ever seen such beautiful Chinese paintings again. He was reluctant to leave and waited there for more than an hour until a reporter from a radio station finished an interview with the painter. Then, he held the painting album in his hands and requested the painter's inscription and autograph as a souvenir. Many visitors wrote down their heartfelt words on the guest book and sent flowers to Zhang Cuiying one after another to express their gratitude. When a reporter from the Chinese News Agency came to the exhibition, practitioners clarified the truth of Falun Gong to him on their own initiative.

After the painting exhibition ended at 5PM, we rushed to the office of the Chief of police. As soon as he saw us, he asked Zhang Cuiying when she would come back to Riga to hold the exhibition again. He said he had been to the exhibition on the previous day. He liked Zhang Cuiying's Chinese traditional paintings a lot. The exhibition had not been well prepared because there had been only one day to get ready. Next time, the government would specifically invite her. We thanked him for his kind invitation and expressed that we would consider holding another exhibition. We again clarified truth of Dafa to him and further described the real sufferings of Zhang Cuiying's persecution in China.

On the day we left Riga, Zhang Cuiying and four Falun Gong practitioners paid a visit to the chairman of parliament who is in charge of the relationship between Latvia and China. He liked Chinese culture and Chinese people a lot and believed that the suppression and persecution of Falun Gong was intolerable. He hoped Zhang Cuiying would stay in Riga at least one week if she ever came again. Two days was not long enough.

The president of Latvia talked to us through her assistant: she had read the media reports on the painting exhibition. She was very pleased that Zhang Cuiying came to Latvia to display her artwork. She regretted that the time was too short and she was too busy with state affairs to come and visit the painting exhibition in person. She said that he would certainly meet with us next time, no matter how busy she was.