(Clearwisdom.net) The fifth annual Nuit Blanche, a.k.a. White Night, is an all-night contemporary art display throughout Toronto. This year's Nuit Blanche began at 6:57 p.m. on October 2, 2010 and ended at sunrise on October 3. Falun Gong practitioners were represented in the large installation, "Fragments & Sightings," a project between several contemporary artists and the Canadian Center for International Justice. The exhibition, located in Lamport Stadium, called attention to human rights atrocities around the world, as experienced first-hand by people who are now living in Toronto. The exhibition incorporated artifacts and written testimonies submitted by survivors of atrocities, including a collection of over 70 pieces of evidence of the Chinese regime's crimes of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. Also represented in the installation were stories of people from Tibet, Myanmar and Rwanda.
True Memories of the Persecuted
The exhibited objects provided by Falun Gong practitioners included notes for illegal forced labor, illegally written verdicts, lists of confiscated objects from illegal searches, pictures, and illustrations of torture in prison camps.
According to a practitioner who was once subjected to three and a half years of imprisonment in China for writing to his friend about Falun Gong, there are still many practitioners in Toronto who have suffered persecution in China whose stories are not represented in the exhibition.
Johanna McDonald from the Canadian Center for International Justice stated that it is wrong to be persecuted because of one's belief.
"I support Falun Gong's effort in seeking to end the persecution," said McDonald.
Andrea Rees from Toronto feels that it is wrong for the Chinese government to control its people in such an oppressive way. "I wish the Chinese people did not have to go through such [oppression]," she said.
Another Toronto resident, Deborah Lindsay, said she thought that the Canadian government should do more to help stop the persecution. "I appreciated what [the practitioners] are doing to let people in Canada know about such an unjust thing."
Simon and his parents, just arrived from China, visited the exhibition. Simon's parents told a reporter that they knew about Falun Gong but did not dare to learn more about it in China out of fear of possible persecution from the government.
Simon learned about the persecution in Canada but was not sure what Falun Gong was. When he learned that it was an ancient Chinese way of cultivation practice, he was interested and wanted to learn more.
Li grew up in Canada. He brought his family to the exhibit and signed the petition calling for an end to the persecution. "I feel really bad after learning about it [the persecution]. The persecution shouldn't have existed. I will support those working to end it," Li said.
An Umbrella Printed with "Falun Dafa Is Good"
Included in the exhibition was a photo of an umbrella belonging to Ms. Zang Aixia from Chongqing, China. Ms. Zang, a medical doctor, moved to Canada last year. In China, she was arrested under the false charge of "violating public security" because she had the words, "Falun Dafa Is Good" printed on her umbrella. She was locked in the Daqing City Detention Center for 30 days. "I slept on the mold-covered concrete ground for 30 days. There were 27 people locked in a tiny room without a window. We ate, slept and relieved ourselves in the cell. There was not room for everyone to lie down on their back. The cell smelled awful. Most of the practitioners were black and blue because of torture," said Zang Aixia.
Ms. Zang had submitted the persecution story of her neighbor Qu Yanlai, also included in the exhibition
1,825 Days and Nights in a Chinese Prison
According to Zang, Qu Yanlai was her neighbor. Qu was smart and kind, and often won prizes in national math and science competitions. He took a job in a company in Shanghai after he graduated from college. One day Qu gave a Falun Dafa CD to a couple he knew. Because of that, the couple was put in prison and Qu was sentenced to five years in the Tilanqiao Prison in Shanghai. Qu suffered from numerous forms of torture in prison. He was once tied to a Death Bed for over six months. He was not allowed to bathe, had to relieve himself on the bed, was placed under the scorching sun for a long time, and was force-fed with a tube. His almost died several times. Mr. Qu was released in 2007 but the police still monitored his daily activities.
The "Fragments & Sightings" exhibition attracted many people during the Nuit Blanche event.
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