September 4, 2003
ARTIST Zhang Cuiying is all too familiar with suppression so it's hardly surprising she found a
ban on painting "like a death sentence".
The Bankstown woman was imprisoned in China in 1999 for practicing Falun Dafa, a form of
meditation.
Her vocal stance, along with thousands of other Chinese supporting the activity, sparked outrage
from the government.
Zhang, a watercolor artist, was arrested in a park and thrown into jail, where she continued to
practice Falun Dafa.
Her friend Stacey Wang said: "The policeman said he would release her but when they passed
the male cell they threw her in there."
Without privacy, Zhang was forced to live with a cell full of men. She was eventually released
after an eight-month ordeal and migrated to Sydney.
Her watercolor paintings feature landscapes, flora and fauna, and portraits, each one created in
the traditional Chinese way of moving the brush slowly and smoothly.
"Chinese painting demands the painting must represent the inner nature of the painter,"
she said.
"Every brush carries the painter's own message. So the painter must also have a high
standard of virtue. I use the brush to paint at night. I couldn't help feeling a strong sense of
inner peace and inspiration."
She said her displays, which also offer insights into her ordeal, are a contrast between good and
evil.
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