How are you? Have you had a good Christmas and started a Happy New Year? I do hope you have. :-)

On my side, since I fell over myself Dec 24, I have been suffering the sharp ache on my ribs no matter I am sleeping, speaking, laughing or having a light cough; along with this, the numbing and edema on my arms and fingers that had disappeared before I came to Beijing have come back once more.

Anyway, since the winter vacation of CAFA will be started in the middle of Jan, 2011, I am keeping attending every lesson, completing every assignment and stay in the classroom as much as possible. So, just within the short 38 days from Nov 26 until now, I have painted 43 pictures/practices of landscapes and figures according to the requirements of the school. In the New Year vacation, I have also learned to paint 5 new paintings of flowers and birds from one of my classmates who is an artist - Mr. Jiantian Zhang in the classroom with another 5 classmates together.

A strong feeling is that to have a great soul is the pre-condition to be a true artist. The spirit outlook/level of an artist decides his and her altitude of art achievement. So, to learn art is not only to learn how to paint, the more important is to learn how to be a perfect person. With this idea, instead of painting for whole of my time, I have also found time to read, to watch TV, to have talkings or meals with my classmates.

These days, I have been watching a TV play series that was adapted from one of the greatest Chinese historical novels -- The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, to think why they were successful and why they were failed, to improve my own thinking level via studying their strategy, tactics and methods in the complex situation. After all, for me, instead of being a pure painter, my dream is to become a compositive artist some day... :-)

An excited thing of this week is that we had a good New Year’s dinner, and then a music and dance party Dec 31. I was the singer and a photographer in the party, to sing and to take photos for all of my classmates and tutors.

Right now, we have finished the Chinese figure lessons and started to study the construction of Chinese landscape paintings by the direction of Professor Mingjing Yao.

Even though the first term will be finished in 2 weeks, Mr. Gang Li -- the tutor of our class has made the arrangements for our winter vacation -- to prepare the graduated exhibition (in June or July, 2011) and to bring our creation ideas and drafts back to the school in Feb, 2011.

I am going to do my best to end the old term and to start the new term with working harder, more confidence, smiles and sweat...

How about you? Have you had a good New Year’s Vacation? Do you have any great plan in the new year?

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
Jan 4, 2011