(06/06/02)

A photo exhibition opens Friday in the Old City section of Philadelphia that traces the history of what has been called the most persecuted group in China today.

One photo shows a man in Tiananman Square waving a red-on-yellow banner, with a policeman walking menacingly toward him. It's an image from "A Gem Shining Through the Twilight of China" -- a photo exhibit on Falun Gong or Falan Dafa, a traditional practice of meditation and exercise with teachings based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance.

Although practiced by as many as 100 million people, it was banned -- under pain of imprisonment, torture and death -- by the Chinese government in 1999.

Qui of Bryn Mawr has family in Beijing who are Falun Gong practitioners:

"They are not allowed to do any practice. They have been under a lot of pressure. My mom was sent to a detention center for a month, and my dad was locked up for weeks."

The exhibit opens Friday at the Horton Gallery at 237 Market Street, and remains there through June 13th

(From: http://www.kyw1060.com/news_archives_detail.cfm?newsitemid=21745)