An artist who was threatened in China for his Christian activism and had his paintbrush forced from his hand is restoring Maltese antiques to give something back to the country that is sheltering him.

John Zhang fled to Malta from China in 2004 with his wife and daughter after years of persecution, and he is now joining forces with the Jesuit Refugee Service and the Jean de la Valette Foundation for a fundraising art exhibition.

Called Journey of Hope and due to be held on Saturday from 8pm at the Palace Hotel in Sliema, the artworks will include 10 paintings and 10 pieces of refurbished furniture.

The idea for the brightly coloured furniture had been brewing in Mr Zhang’s mind for months. He has termed the eco-friendly concept Thanksgiving Design, seeking to preserve local handicrafts that would otherwise be thrown away.

Mr Zhang buys old furniture, cleans it, refurbishes it and dresses it in his own painting style – a fusion of Asian and Western art.

His style echoes the ups and downs he has gone through over the past 60 years.

All of his paintings and art books were taken away from him and destroyed

Mr Zhang was born in Shanghai in 1955, six years after the Communist Party came to power. His ancestors were related to the Nationalist Party, at that time in opposition. From the very beginning, he lived in the shadow of persecution.

Aged 14, he was forced to work for a steel factory. However, he never gave up his love for art and with a government quota allowing one college candidate per factory, he became the only qualified one out of 10,000 employees.

However, the party secretary at the factory did not allow him to enrol for college because of his “Westernised taste in art… and superstitious belief in foreign religions such as Christianity”, as well as his political background.

All of his paintings and art books were taken away from him and destroyed.

When he married in 1984, he opened a restaurant called Thanksgiving Garden, which hosted gatherings for Christians.

However, he was warned by the authorities – from the local council to the tax department – to tone down his Christian activism.

“A turning point came when I was asked to eavesdrop on my clients. We were harassed and stalked, and the authorities even tried to hinder the education of our daughter,” he says.

He had to close down his restaurant, but soon opened an art gallery where he exhibited sacred and secular pieces.

This too was eventually shut down as the authorities withdrew his licence.

The family lived in fear and they soon realised how much their life was in danger when they survived a car chase which left them severely injured.

The only way to survive was to flee and move to a place where they would be allowed to practise their Christian faith.

They moved to Malta, and the ordeal exhausted most of their savings. However, as they settled down in their new home, Mr Zhang wondered how he could contribute to the society that had given him religious and artistic freedom.

He believes that his eco-friendly project could contribute to the Maltese market, considering the country is rich in culture and history, but lacks natural resources.

For JRS, with whom Mr Zhang is organising his first fund-raising event, the Zhang family is a positive example of how refugees can give something back to society.

This Saturday’s exhibition is the culmination of the journey of a man who, together with his family, did not give up despite going through “unthinkable trauma”.

“It is an extraordinary example of resilience. Refugees are often seen as a burden, but we know there are many more refugees contributing in hidden ways,” Mark Cachia from JRS told this newspaper.

The event is being held at the beginning of the month dedicated to the right of refugees to live in safety and dignity.

June 20 was in fact chosen by the United Nations to commemorate the strength, courage and resilience of millions of refugees who escape conflict and persecution and leave everything behind to embark on a journey of hope for a better and safer future.

For more information on the show, visit http://issuu.com/jrsmalta/docs/jrs_exhibition_catalogue