(Clearwisdom.net) In May 1997, I was fortunate enough to attend "The Second Changchun Falun Dafa Calligraphy and Photo Exhibition", which was held to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Master Li introducing Falun Dafa to the public. The exhibition was held in the Nanling Gymnasium in Changchun. It was drizzling that day. A practitioner took me to the Nanling Gymnasium. When we arrived at the entrance, I experienced a very fresh and pleasant feeling. In front of me there was a huge portrait of Master wearing a robe, and on the other side was a Falun emblem with the words Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. A lot of colorful fresh flowers were placed at the entrance.
In May 1997, during the fifth anniversary of Master's introducing Falun Dafa to the public, practitioners in Changchun held "The Second Changchun Falun Dafa Calligraphy and Photo Exhibition" to commemorate this great day.
A group picture of all the staff of the "The Second Changchun Falun Dafa Calligraphy and Photo Exhibition"
I curiously looked around at everything: Many people attended and most of them seemed to come from other cities. Everyone dressed very casually and smiled very happily. Many of them took pictures at the entrance.
A great variety of exhibits was displayed, and the exhibition hall was a little crowded. People kept coming and going, but everything was very orderly. It wasn't noisy and no one talked loudly. Occasionally people talked to each other in whispers. The hall resounded with beautiful and peaceful music.
The exhibition was very diverse: Calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, graphic art, photography and all kinds of handicrafts. The exhibits included a variety of items, and all of them were finely made.
Some of the calligraphy and photography exhibits
I knew nothing about the arts, but I have great respect for the arts and artists, calligraphists, and musicians. When I first looked at those art works, I was astonished. I couldn't believe that among Falun Gong practitioners, there are so many talented people with high levels of education and many accomplishments. I was so happy that I didn't know what to say. I was so attracted by the exhibits and I took a lot pictures (most of the pictures I took were lost after the persecution started on July 20, 1999). I was most impressed by several drawings, one of which illustrated a ladder going to heaven. Because I was not yet a practitioner, I didn't have the depth of understanding to truly appreciate these art works, but I felt they were very sacred.
I stood in front of the biggest graphic art, and it was carved with a big boat. People on the boat were either doing the exercises or studying the Fa. They were Buddhas, Bodhisattvas or Taoists. Each Buddha had a halo behind their heads, and because I didn't know any better I thought it was a hat, and I thought they were really beautiful, and I also wanted a beautiful hat like that. Many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were reading the precious book Zhuan Falun. All the different Buddhas, Taoists, and Gods in this masterpiece presented a spectacular and distinguished realm. This well-made masterpiece left people with a lasting and pleasant impression.
There were so many exhibits that I could only pick those that I most liked or was most interested in to look at, so I can't remember what other kinds of exhibits were there. I could only remember there were many handicrafts or embroideries of the Falun emblem, and there were also many colorful flags. Since I was very fond of calligraphy, I spent a lot of time looking at the calligraphy. I felt it had the most exhibits among all the categories. Some of the works were written with "Falun Dafa is good", and some were "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance". All the exhibits had very high artistic value and were very finely mounted. I didn't fully understand the content of the drawings, but I was so touched by the artists' hearts. I could tell they put all their hearts into their works.
We looked at the exhibition as we walked along. The beautiful music "Pudu" brought me back to ancient times, and the atmosphere felt so magnificent and sacred. There was another handicraft picture knitted in colorful woolen yarns of Master's picture from the front page of Zhuan Falun. It was so delicate and marvelous that I was greatly surprised by it. The grand exhibition left me with very beautiful memories that I've treasured in my mind forever!
This precious exhibition encouraged and inspired me to start cultivation practice and it destroyed my stubborn notion that qigong was superstitious. Because of this notion, I missed many opportunities to practice Dafa. Actually as early as 1994, a friend had recommended Falun Gong to me, but I was blocked by this human notion and didn't take it very seriously.
Before we went to the exhibition, Xiao Ning invited me to his apartment and played Master's Fa-teaching lectures for me. When I was watching the video, I became so sleepy that I fell asleep on his sofa. After I woke up, I continued to watch the lectures. Three days later I finally finished watching the videos. After the exhibition, my understanding of Falun Gong totally changed, it wasn't like what I had thought in the past at all! The day after the exhibition I went to the practice site in the early morning. I first followed the crowd and imitated the practitioners' movements, and then another practitioner came and taught me the exercises in person. And I learned the exercises very earnestly.
In this way, I entered such a magical world with a lot of confusion and questions. How could I have known that after that day, my life would be changed and that I would find the path leading me back to heaven. This exhibition was the turning point in my life and I'm so glad that I am walking on the path to return to my true origin.
It has been thirteen years since I started cultivation practice in May 1997. The asthma I had for many years was cured and my irritable temper has changed to be very gentle and peaceful. When my personal interests or my ego was infringed upon by other people, I disciplined myself according to Dafa and I could remain compassionate and think about things from other people's perspectives. All my family members and friends supported my practicing Dafa. When I found a purse on the street, I would return it to the owner as soon as possible. Master taught me that I should be a good person like this. During all these years while Dafa has been persecuted, like many other Dafa disciples I went through a lot of tribulations. But under Master's benevolent protection, I stood up from depression and broke through all the tribulations.
After July 20, 1999, I began to understand what it is to truly cultivate oneself. Recalling this precious exhibit, I also understood the contents of the art works and what those artists wanted to express in their drawings. Tribulations didn't destroy my will to cultivate, on the contrary, it helped me to become more and more mature. Right now, I walk on the streets everyday to clarify the truth to people and helped them to quit the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations. I hope every Chinese who is deceived by all those lies can understand the truth and can be saved.
