How are you?

I finished my travel in Wuxi and flew back Shenzhen last night. I will get my health check report and see my doctor. Then to go back Beijing to complete my study in China Central Academy of Fine Art.

In the 5 days' travel, I have seen and felt a lot. The deepest impression is the quickly development of China has improved the life level of Chinese people so much.

-- As soon as I reached Wuxi, I found the cars of my brother and sister-in-low have been changed to be BMW and AUDI, 6 of my 7 former colleagues whom I met have their owe cars after bought their houses/apartments; but in 1983, when I just started my teaching in Wuxi, my month salary was 54 RMB as all the other Chinese university graduates. Almost no one had a private car in China and all my family members went to work by bikes or buses. On the day I went to Shenzhen - Dec 31, 1991, as a college instructor, my monthly salary was 205 RMB as same as all the other instructors and engineers. It was impossible for an individual to buy a car or a house / apartment with our salary in China in 80's. But now, all children of the family flew to Wuxi to see my father.

In the Wuxi Airport, I found some Airlines between Hong Kong /Taiwan and Wuxi, between Australia / Japan and Wuxi. Wuxi's GDP level has entered the first 10 cities of China for many years while Shenzhen is on the 4th.

-- On the second day I was in Wuxi, my sister who is a professor in Nanning Cityworried about her dog so that she called someone to feed it with milk. But in 1986, when my son was just born in Wuxi, with his birth certificate, he was offered one bottle of milk each day. After asking help, I got the second bottle of milk for him, and then I had to get up at 4:00am to get it in a line.

-- In the evening of the fourth day, as usual, taking a "Red Bag” with some money, my brother drove me to pick up a 79 years old lady who was cotton worker to have a dinner with the 3rd group of my former colleagues since she had helped me to look after my son in my business time for 3 years during his father was studying for his master degree in Beijing. She told me that her pension has been raised up more than 1 time since last dinner I treated her, life has gotten much better, and I need not to offer her any red bag with money as I have been doing since I came to Shenzhen.

The second feeling is that more and more Chinese people have sent their children abroad to accept more advance education; the education level of Chinese has been improved much more.

-- In the 7 couple of wives and husbands whom I met in Wuxi, 4 of their children were/are abroad. If pulsing my son, in the 5 children, 1 has a doctor degree on nuclear physics from USA, 4 has/will have master degrees on Finance, Automobile and Accounting from Britain, Germany, USA and Australia.

-- Except saying Happy New Year, something about Internet of things, solar energy, electronic commerce, economic system, private enterprise and self-employed have become the topics of common people.

-- On the road from Shenzhen Airport to my home, the young taxi driver who just came to Shenzhen for one year told me that, every month he makes money 2 or 3 times more than he did in inland. So, he guesses that after working hard for 7 or 8 years, he should be able to have money enough to buy a new house for his child in his hometown--Mudanjiang City in Heilongjiang Province. He is impression on Shenzhen’s quick speed, so that he feels everyone wants to fly, he does, too. Every day he works for 13 hours and the happiest time every night is to see his wife to account the money and offers him dinners. :-)

I could not help smiling for his words and told him that every true Shenzhen person has gone a similar road. In Shenzhen, as long as you truly work hard, you will be returned certainly. I am sure that along with the effort of all Chinese together, China will get stronger day and day. The younger generation of us will certainly live happier than us.

The third, a pride with some sadness feeling is that first time I realized that I have inherited some special traditions of my family undesignedly after I heard the story of my parents after sweeping the grave of my mother on the Chinese New Year’s Day. That is to pursue new knowledge and new skills every day with passion for whole of the life, to service for the others with a strong sense of social responsibility.

-- In 1942, after studying in a home school with a private tutor for 7 years, my parents started their students lives in two normal colleges in Hunan. Experienced the hard time in the Second World War for 4 years, they completed their study and became teachers.

-- In 1948, my father entered Guili Art Institute ? today’s Guangxi Arts Institute in Guangxi to learn painting. Then he organized a group of young students to teach their own students in the day time, with the money they made, to teach the poor farmers free in the countryside of Hunan.

-- In 1949, both of them joined in the Chinese People's Liberation Army and be the students of Southwest Military and Political University. Then my father taught here.

-- In 1951, my father became an official student of Shanghai Flak Artillery School while my mother was an student in South University ?Today’s Jianan University in Guangzhou. Then they worked in Beijing.

When I listened to these story, I did feel that I am so similar to my parents. Maybe Chinese tradition and culture is just inherited one generation by one generation naturally?

In my travel, something I asked and thought most is how to design and spend my rest life on my long-term dream ? to create a unique Chinese language and culture assistant learning system with my Chinese language, literature, painting and music together, base on what I have worked for many years via my own web site and actual works.

--So, as soon as I had time, I caught my brother who is a successful entrepreneur and my brother-in-law who is a professor and a president of a Business College, asked them to offer me some "Lessons". :- )

-- Meanwhile, I have read and learned many things about Mr. Bill Gates and his Western management style, Mr. Li Ka Shingand his Chinese style management style; I have also bought many DVDs of Jack Ma . I am going to complete my study in CAFA. I do not want to be a pure painter. I am going to develop my advantage on Chinese language and management, plus my own painting and music, combine them together, to create something unique, beautiful and meaningful.

Right now, my first duty is to fight with the disease and overcome it, to create and keep the first precondition ? physically and psychological health, while to work on all of my dreams.

How do you think of my feelings and ideas? Have you thought or done anything special in the week or in the Chinese Holiday time?

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
Feb 7, 2011