(Clearwisdom.net) Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain after Madrid. It is located in the northeast Iberian Peninsula and faces the Mediterranean Sea to the southeast. Barcelona is the second largest port in the Mediterranean. The well-known Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes in the Renaissance said that Barcelona was “the most beautiful city in the world.” Barcelona now attracts tourists from all over the world with its rich architectural and cultural heritage. The local football club and the grand Sagrada Família Church are among the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
Falun Gong first introduced in Spain at the “World and the Americas Expo”
Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) is a Buddha school practice introduced to the world by Mr Li Hongzhi. Practitioners seek to assimilate to the universe’s characteristics of Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance to become good people and gain good health. At the Oriental Health Expos in Mainland China in 1992 and 1993, Falun Dafa's amazing healing and fitness effects inspired many Chinese. Since then, Falun Dafa information booths have often appeared at health expos around the world, and many people outside China have learned about and now practice Falun Dafa, benefitting physically and mentally. This also happened in Spain.
Practitioners in Spain doing the fifth Falun Gong exercise
In the spring of 1997, Madrid hosted the “World and the Americas Expo,” and Falun Dafa appeared in Spain for the first time. In 2001 and 2002, the Spanish versions of Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun were published. Since then, more and more Spaniards have become practitioners.
A shining pearl at the National Health Expos
Falun Gong participated in the 21st National Health Expo, the largest in Spain, in Madrid in November 2001. With its unique and beautiful exercises and its simple but profound philosophy, Falun Gong shone at that Expo like a pearl and attracted wide attention.
Barcelona hosted the National Health Expo in May 2003, and Falun Gong was there.
In 2003, Barcelona hosted the National Health Expo. Many visitors learned about Falun Gong.
From 2001 to 2003 Falun Dafa was a very popular exhibit at the Spanish National Health Expos. A Spaniard commented, “Falun Dafa is a special presence at the Health Expo.” The Expo organizer said, “Your Falun Dafa has almost become a privileged exhibition—it is the only exhibitor allowed to show outdoors.” During the Expo, many media, such Spanish National Radio, Barcelona TV, and health magazines, interviewed practitioners and made positive reports on Falun Dafa.
Telling more people about Dafa’s peace and beauty
During the Expo, the Falun Dafa exhibition booth is always crowded.
The beautiful movements of the exercises attract many visitors.
The Spanish National Health Expo was held in Barcelona in May 2003. Many of the participants at Falun Gong’s exhibition booth were those who had learned about Falun Gong from the Expo in previous years and then started practicing. These Falun Gong practitioners did not spend that weekend with family or take a vacation but came to the Expo with one common, heartfelt desire: to tell more people about Dafa’s peace and beauty.
One Spanish practitioner came from the Canary Islands. His finances were limited but he still spent 400 euros on a plane ticket to attend the Expo. He wanted to tell others about the tremendous improvements he experienced mentally and physically after practicing Falun Gong. Another Spanish practitioner from the Canary Islands, in her 70s, helped to distribute leaflets and introduce Falun Dafa to visitors as soon as she arrived, despite travel fatigue. All the participating practitioners said, “We want to do our utmost and try not to miss anyone who is predestined.”
“It is like another world here!”
From November 3 to 5, 2006, Spanish Falun Gong practitioners were invited to exhibit at the annual International Health Expo in Barcelona. This event, which explores mental and spiritual wellbeing, attracts many visitors from all over the world every year. The Falun Dafa exhibition booth featured a large banner that read “Falun Dafa, Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance” in both Spanish and Chinese. A TV set played the Falun Gong exercise instructions and programs explaining the truth about Falun Gong. The music of “Pudu” and “Jishi” echoed in the exhibition hall. One visitor was so moved by the energy of peace and benevolence that she told the practitioners, “It is like another world here!”
The Falun Gong exhibition booth surrounded by those who want to understand the truth
Visitors sign the petition to condemn the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Gong.
The Falun Gong exhibition booth faced a corridor where many photos and pictures were displayed. They showed group exercises all over the world as well as the brutal tortures suffered by many Falun Gong practitioners in China under the Chinese Communist regime. It revealed to visitors the outrageous persecution of Falun Gong under the CCP compared with the brilliant development of Falun Gong throughout the rest of the world. The cruel persecution was such an extreme contrast to the peaceful exercises that many visitors understood the truth right away and were quick to sign the petition to stop the persecution.
Visitors sign to support an end to the persecution
The same thing occurred at the “Magic International” expo in the Barcelona Exhibition Center (Feria de Barcelona) November 6 to 8, 2009. The expo gathered together over 200 exhibitors in the fields of fitness and spiritual exploration. Falun Gong drew many visitors.
Visitors signed the petition calling for an end to the persecution after understanding the truth.
After learning the truth, kindhearted people were quick to speak out for justice. When they found out about the CCP regime's brutal treatment of Falun Gong practitioners, they were all shocked. Many of them signed the petition to support stopping the persecution. A publisher's exhibition booth was nearby. When its manager understood the truth, he had all his staff come over and sign the petition. He also wanted to present information about Falun Dafa on their website.
Visitor: Something concrete should be done to stop the persecution!
December 10 to 12, 2010, the exhibition center of Barcelona (Feria de Barcelona) hosted the International Magic Fair (Feria de Magic Internacional). Beautiful music came from the Falun Gong’ exhibition booth and practitioners demonstrated the five exercises. Its peaceful atmosphere attracted many visitors. Some of them stopped to learn the exercises and asked for more information about local exercises sites.
Visitors sign the petition to support stopping the persecution when they learn it is still going on in China.
A visitor in his 40s, who had been involved in spiritual exploration for many years, was very sensitive physically. When he saw the picture of a Falun Gong practitioner being tortured, he burst into tears. He said that his body sensed the pain suffered by the practitioner in the picture and he felt a kind of burning pain. He said that it was not enough to sign the petition, that something concrete should be done to stop the persecution.
Nowadays, most exhibitions at expos around the world promote commercial products, often accompanied by noise. Falun Gong exhibitions are not only uniquely “Free of charge with volunteer instruction,” but the energy is always peaceful and benevolent, seeking to share with the world the beauty of Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance. Next time you pass a Falun Gong exhibition at an expo, please stop and feel that tranquilly. Perhaps it will be the most valuable thing you go away with from your visit to that expo!
