Holland: People of Amsterdam Impressed by the International "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance" Art Exhibition

By a Dutch practitioner

(Clearwisdom.net) The International "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance" Art Exhibition, sponsored by the Dutch Falun Gong Association, was held in the City Hall of Amsterdam from November 2 to November 15, 2005. The spirit of Falun Gong practitioners' perseverance in the face of inhuman persecution by the Chinese Communist regime made an unforgettable impression upon the government officials, City Hall staff members and the general public who visited the exhibition.

In a recent letter, the Mayor of Amsterdam wrote to Falun Gong practitioners and said, "Many people are talking about the brutal persecution that Falun Gong suffers in China. People are truly shocked." Many visitors (including government officials of City Hall) signed their names to support bringing [former Chinese president and instigator of the persecution] Jiang Zemin to justice. A lot of people left messages in the guest book. A government official said furiously, "Where are the United Nations and all of the governments in the world? How can they tolerate this inhuman persecution, and let it drag on for more than six years? The human rights situation in China has deteriorated to such an awful degree, but all of the governments in the world are still making business deals with China. What they care about is making money, not human rights in China. We've got to make changes!" Examples like this are happening every day. People who came to the art exhibition also included tourists from elsewhere in the world and even some Russian officials, who accompanied President Putin on a state visit to Holland.

A surprising event occurred on the second day of the exhibition. From the second floor, a City Hall staff member saw a golden light emit from a painting of Buddha. She ran down the stairs to the exhibition hall excitedly and quickly approached the painting with her hands joined in a gesture of reverence. She said to the practitioners in the exhibition hall, "Guess what I saw? I saw a golden light being emitted from this painting of Buddha! It was so beautiful. It is still emitting golden light. Your painting is really extraordinary." She told everyone she met about this, and brought her entire family to see the art exhibition.

The International "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance" Art Exhibition deeply impressed the citizens of Amsterdam. An Amsterdam TV Station and several newspapers provided positive news coverage about the event. Displayed inside the office of a government official working in City Hall was a replica of a painting displayed in the art exhibition. Lotus flowers inscribed with "Falun Gong Is Good!" were hung in the office of the security guards. Two posters were designed specifically for the art exhibition: one called "Heaven and Earth Become One" and the other, "Suffering in China," are still preserved in the display windows of the Amsterdam City Hall.

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