(Clearwisdom.net) It is estimated that over 8 million people visited the Taiwan Lantern Festival, which was held on February 27-28, 2011, at Sports Park, in Chunan Toufen, Miaoli County. The number set a new record for the Taiwan Lantern Festival.
The Mayor of Miaoli, Mr. Liu Zhenghong, and vice Mayor Lin Jiuhsiang visited the lantern festival and praised the Falun Dafa practitioners' area. The officials later posed for photos with the practitioners.
Falun Dafa practitioners presented many lanterns. The most attractive one was the spinning law wheel lantern.
Falun Gong Displays the Beauty of Cultivation Practice
A classic art not only gives people aesthetic feelings but also cleanses peoples' hearts and uplifts their spirits. Inside the Falun Dafa area, eight large lanterns were on display, including the “Lotus Flower,” “Law Wheel Rotates in New Realms,” “Celestial Maidens,” “Lun Yu,” “Heaven and Humans Become One,” “Book of Zhuan Falun,” and “Enlightened Beings.” The spinning law wheel especially attracted many visitors. People used cellphones and camcorders to record the video of the law wheel spinning nine times clockwise and nine times counter-clockwise.
A lantern depicts the book Zhuan Falun written by Master Li Hongzhi
The lantern “Law Wheel Rotates in New Realms” attracted many visitors, who took out cellphones and camcorders to record video of the law wheel spinning nine times clockwise and nine times counter-clockwise.
Falun Gong practitioners made a rotating lantern out of Master Li Hongzhi's Lunyu. Visitors watched the lantern and read the characters on it.
The practitioners performed on waist drums, in chorus, and Chinese traditional dances at the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as two weekends. The performances attracted many visitors.
Lantern “Celestial Maiden” depicts a beautiful maiden coming from heaven to the earth flying on a white cloud with a flag in her hand. Three characters on the flag read “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”
The Drum Beats Pass the Meaning of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance
The waist drum performers entered the stage wearing golden-yellow uniforms and with bright smiles. The joyful and orderly drum beats immediately attracted a large crowd who also gave waves of applause.
Ms. Hong is the coordinator for the waist drum performances, which was not an easy task for her since the drum performances usually last three to four hours, from around 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Nonetheless, the difficult task was carried out easily as, “The performers are all Falun Dafa practitioners who are eager to display the beauty of the cultivation practice,” Ms. Hong said. “After each piece of music, the hosts will introduce Falun Gong and the truth, so when people come and watch, they will learn the beauty of Falun Dafa.”
The waist drum performers entered the stage wearing golden-yellow uniforms and with bright smiles.
The waist drum performers entered the stage in golden yellow uniforms and with bright smiles. The joyful and orderly drum beats immediately attracted a large crowd who were also giving waves of applause.
Ms. Hong has practiced Falun Dafa for 13 years. Before beginning the practice, she described herself as, “Having illnesses from head to toe, and not able to do normal work.” At this event however, she started setting up the lanterns in the morning, was a tour guide during the day, and performed on waist drums for hours in the evening. She was not tired after a long day's activity, and said happily, “We (the practitioners) have the same purpose. We are all volunteers making our contributions.” “It makes us very happy to clarify the truth, and the more we do, the happier and more energetic we feel.”
Besides the waist drum performances, Falun Gong practitioners also demonstrated the five sets of Falun Gong exercises on the stage. The host told the audience that all Falun Gong activities are free and open to the public. The five sets of exercises are beautiful and easy to learn. After the introduction, some eager audience members approached the volunteers, wanting to learn the exercise.
After the introduction, some eager audience members approached the volunteers, wanting to learn the exercise.
Falun Gong exercises are free to learn. A practitioner is introducing Falun Gong to the visitors.
Righteous Art Performance Can Purify Peoples' Hearts
At the lantern festival, Falun Dafa practitioners also performed songs like “Falun Dafa is Good,” “Coming for You,” “Sit by My Side,” “The Relation Comes,” “A Good Pre-destined Relationship Arrived,” using the vocal arts to display the beauty of Falun Dafa.
The leader of the chorus is Mr. Huang Jiaren, and the singers are from all walks of life, including retired school principals, teachers, engineers, insurance agents, and housewives. They sing in four different tones and practice every week. They live normal lives with a focus on cultivation of xinxing, combining the arts and higher moral standards, and also display the beauty of Falun Dafa with their songs.
A Falun Gong practitioner performs a dance on the stage
Besides waist drums and chorus, the practitioners also performed classic dances.
People Are Awakening and Scorn the Corrupt Chinese Communist Party
Ms. Hong from Miaoli told this reporter that some lanterns from Suzhou City in China were also entered in the lantern festival. The organizers were initially afraid of annoying the Chinese Communist Party and rejected the application of the Falun Dafa group, as well as the New Tang Dynasty TV Station and the Epoch Times Newspaper. In the face of these obstacles, some county commissioners and local government officials who had learned the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution stepped up and cleared the obstacles for the groups to participate.
Ms. Hong said commissioner Lai Yuanshun, director of the Shande Culture Association, supported Falun Dafa by talking to the organizers. Mr. Lai said, “We ought to show people that Taiwan is different from the Mainland. We can allow every religion, every group. We are tolerant and they are allowed to join if they are good.”
A Special Episode During the Lantern Set-up
An older couple from China, who were visiting their children in Taiwan, appeared excited when they saw the Falun Gong practitioners' lanterns. They had experienced the “Cultural Revolution” and all kinds of “political campaigns” launched by the Chinese Communist Party. They knew that Falun Dafa was good and understood the Party's continuing persecution of Falun Gong. After learning the truth, the couple used two pen names to withdraw from the Young Pioneers Association, an organization affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. The man is in his seventies. He said, “As soon as I got off of the airplane and saw that Taiwan was so clean and the Taiwanese are so kind, I knew the Chinese Communist Party's propaganda was all lies. The Chinese Communist Party has killed so many Chinese people. They are truly very corrupt.”
Many visitors said they felt comfortable and pure in the Falun Dafa lanterns area. Ms. Hong emphasized again that Falun Gong doesn't accept contributions and is free to learn. The practitioners' only purpose is to bring the beauty of Falun Dafa to all people, a most righteous goal.
