How are you? Have you had a good week? Are you enjoying your weekend?

Along with the time, I have basically gone out of the frustration last Sunday ( I missed the Alumni Event of Missouri State University in Beijing after preparing for a long time. Anyway, I was lucky enough, except I visited the Associate Dean of College of Business Administration -- Dr. Dave Meinert and 5 former classmates at the last munities, I met the Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce of Springfield Area, MO -- Mr. Brad Bodenhauson and Dr. Xie from MSU at the hall of the hotel; also, I met the Associate Vice President Mr. Steve Robinette by the gate).

This week, I have involved myself in the study and the last 6 assignments in Chinese National Academy of Arts -- Before June 6, 2012, every student must hand in 2 paintings of 70cm x 138 cm (27.56cm x 54.33 inches ) and 4 paintings of 97cm x 180cm (38.18inches x 70.86inches). The 2 smaller paintings would be used for exchanging the fee of publishing and printing our annual book of the students and the graduate art exhibition, 3 of the 4 bigger paintings will be published in the books and be exhibited. Instead of paying as I did in CAFA, here in CNAA, except the tuition, whole of the fee for the students’ painting from the nature in the suburb of Beijing, Taihang Mountains, Hehan Province and by the Grand Canyon of Yellow River, Gansu Province was from the painting works of the tutors and students.

Until today, June 3, 2012, I have completed all of my assignments already. :- )

Can you imagine? When I just came to CNAA last Oct, I needed 1 or 2 days to complete a Chinese Xieyi Painting of 70cm x 136cm, this week, I completed two same size paintings within 10 hours. My first painting of 97cm x 180cm used my 8 days last term; this week, I have completed 2 of the same size paintings.

However, many days, I enter the classroom at about 8:30am and I leave for home at about 11:30pm. Alost every day, I worked over 13 hours. My fingers are in edema, I have been used of it and I had no time to think of it at all.

When my classmates surprise how Shirley works so fast right now, I myself surprised, so that a Chinese idiom jumped into my mind, maybe it was just: 厚积薄发 hòu jī bó fā -- To accumulate something as much as possible, to issue it little by little slowly. Means only by accumulating enough, can we really do thing well.

June 8, 2011, I got the good directions of Prof. Chen Ping who is the vice dean of Chinese Painting School and a tutor of doctoral students in China Centre Academy of Fine Arts -- stopped something you were doing now temporarily, to paint 100 paintings by learning from the ancient artists, then you would have a good creative ability.... Today, June 3, 2012, I have completed 99 of the 100 paintings and all of my painting number (doesn’t include the paintings from the nature) has met 703.

I do find that just like Prof. Chen Ping predicted, I have really felt free much more than I did last year.

Anyway, Prof. Chen taught me on landscape. I am now working on flower and bird painting because of my healthy problem. Therefore, I have made a plan to complete another 100 paintings by learning from the ancient artist and to complete them in another 1.5 to 2 years. :-)

And I do hope the total quantity of my paintings will meet 1,000 paintings in 3 to 4 years. Then, maybe I would truly have a good creative ability? Yes, I think so. :- )

So, I do hope the God will look after me and gives me another 30 years or just 10 years, then, according to my current work time and workload, I will meet 60 or 20 years work time and workload for the others. Just a joke and hope to see you are smiling for my childlike. :- )

The good news is:

-- The registered readers of my little web site have reached 7860;

-- Shirley’s World is still listed No 1 by www.baidu.com , the biggest Search Engine of China and 786 pieces of information from my little web site have been collected by it.

-- Shirley’s World is listed No. 10 by www.google.com , the biggest Search Engine of the world and 5410 pieces of information from my little web site have been collected by it.

I am thinking, this is maybe also because of the accumulation for a long time? It is maybe also applicable to the Chinese idiom ? hòu jī bó fā.? Right?

How about you? Do you have anything special to share this week?

I am just a student on Art of Painting, Music, English and Management, to work on the web site in my free time. I would really like to do a few things with what I have learned to make this little web site to be an Electronic Bridge of Inter-Art & Cross - Culture Exchange, Chinese Language Learning & Friendship Making. To help the others while to improve myself.

I would like to appreciate you for your understanding, directions, supports and help.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, you are welcome to write to shirley@ebridge.cn or leave your message on Message Board.

Shirley Yiping Zhang
June 3, 2012