In the mid-18th century, the most brilliant classical music masters in the history of music including Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert lived in Vienna. The Chinese Spectacular, upon completion of performances in Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Switzerland, opened at City Theatre in Vienna at 7:30 pm, March 6th, 2008. Austrian government officials and celebrities all extended their greetings on the arrival of the Gala Spectacular.

The global Human Rights Torch Relay arrived in Turkey on 1st March, 2008 and the ceremony of the relay was held at the famous Ataturk Park in central Mersin. The Human Rights Torch Relay was initiated by the CIPFG (Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China) on 9th August 2007. The protest revealed the Communist Party (CCP)’s crimes of persecuting Falun Gong, its human rights abuses and violation of the Olympic spirit, calling on the Turkish government and people to pay attention of human rights situation in China and to boycott the Olympics.

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Chen Wen'ai, 61, was arrested multiple times because she kept her faith in Falun Gong, and she was sentenced to six and a half years in prison after she was arrested on May 25th, 2005. Ms. Chen was detained in the Sichuan Province Women's Prison located in Jianyang City. The Prison Administration released her at the end of July 2007 because she was dying from the brutal mistreatment. Ms. Chen never recovered and died on February 24th, 2008.

On the morning of February 22nd, 2008, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zong Xiuxia, a resident of Weifang City, Shandong Province, was reported while she was distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong near the Jialejia Supermarket in Kuiwen District. At around 11:00 a.m., Ms. Zong Xiuxia was taken to Guangwen Police Station and interrogated. That night, her family was notified to come down to the police station to identify and claim her body. It was noted that her time of the death was around 3:00 p.m. Her family was asked to acquiesce to their claim that Ms. Zong committed suicide.

On February 25th, 2008, twelve practitioners were arrested in Chaoyang City. Among them was Mr. Chen Baofeng, who was tortured to death on the eighth day of his detention. To protest the persecution, the remaining practitioners have been on hunger strike, and many of their lives are now in danger. Ms. Jing Fei and Ms. Li Yingxuan suffer from swelling in all parts of their bodies and are in critical condition.

Ms. Hu Aiqin, a Falun Gong practitioner from Hami City in Xinjiang had been held in custody by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for a year. Around the end of 2007, she was sentenced to another eight years. After this sentence, the CCP finally allowed family members to visit her by appointment. When her mother went to visit her, an elderly lady with white hair came out. She thought to herself, "I never knew they locked elderly ladies in here." At a closer glance, she realized that the elderly lady was her daughter. In one year's time, her daughter's black hair had turned white. Ms. Hu's mother became stricken with grief.

NEW YORK – Chinese security agencies have been conducting large-scale arrests of Falun Gong adherents throughout China in recent months as authorities step up efforts to "stamp out" the practice in advance of the Olympic Games, in August, the Falun Dafa Information Center reported today.

Ms. Liu Yu-Chi, president of the Han Clothing Creation and Development Association, praised the costumes in the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular. She said she previously misunderstood the making of traditional Chinese clothing. But after seeing the Spectacular in Kaohsiung, she said the show helped her understand the real uniqueness and special elements of Han clothing. She said that the show truly presented the beauty of traditional Chinese clothing.

At noon on March 14th, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners held a rally in front of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco and protested the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s mass arrests of Falun Gong practitioners in "preparation" for the Olympics.