Northside Neighbor Staff Writer

A traditional Chinese artist who was jailed and tortured in China for practicing Falun Gong presented a painting to Gov. Roy Barnes and was honored by Secretary of State Cathy Cox last week in Atlanta.

Zhang Cui Ying, 40, now a resident of Australia, was recognized by Ms. Cox as a traditional Chinese artist.

Ms. Ying also exhibited her paintings July 13 to 14 at the Atlanta Botanical Garden as part of the ninth annual Asian Cultural Experience.

After support from overseas human rights groups, Ms. Ying was released from prison and began traveling the world to show her art and appeal for support for human rights in China.

"I travel so I can tell the world how I was mistreated and through my tour I want to introduce the Chinese culture to the people of the world and tell people that Falun Gong is good and I benefit from it," said Ms. Ying through an interpreter.

Her art exhibit has toured more than 23 counties and 67 cities around the world and her traditional Chinese watercolor paintings have been presented as personal gifts to distinguished individuals and leaders worldwide.

But out of all of the places Ms. Ying has visited, she said people in the U.S. have expressed the most interest in her.

"Above all it's the U.S. because the U.S. has wonderful people who uphold human rights ..." said Ms. Ying.

One of her paintings received a $60,000 bid at a U.S. auction and Ms. Ying plans to donate the proceeds to the September 11 Children's Fund because she sympathized with children who are separated from their parents.

Ms. Ying was imprisoned for eight months for appealing to the Chinese government for her countryman's freedom to practice Falun Gong, a traditional Chinese mind and body practice that combines meditation, gentle exercise and moral teachings. When Ms. Ying was imprisoned she was severely beaten, shackled, dragged by the hair, prodded with electric devices, stripped and placed in a male prison.

"It was inhumane torture, I was beaten up with bruises all over the body," she said. "I even slept on the concrete floor beside the toilet when I had infections."

In China, 399 Falun Gong practitioners have died while in police custody, more than 1,000 have been illegally sent to mental hospitals and at least 20,000 have been sent to labor camps without trial. According to the Friends of Falun Gong USA.

A 1999 Chinese government survey estimated that 70 to 100 million people were practicing in China. Falun Gong is found in about 40 countries around world.