How are you? Have you had a good Christmas vacation? I do hope you have and have a Happy New Year!

On my side, except I had a Christmas dinner with Mrs. Li Mei - the wife of my former classmate Mr. Zhu Bin, their son and Mr. Zhu together in their house for about 2 hours at Christmas Eve; offered the 100th free Chinese painting and poetry lesson for my new American students in my travel in Springfield, MO, USA on the second day of the Christmas, I worked by my painting board, computer, music instrument and microphone for about 110 hours in the past 7 days, include the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

I am lucky enough to get the continuously support from my work partner and English tutor Mr. Mike Joyce from Britain in the Christmas vacation, and I have completed 66% of the second draft ( translations, paintings, music, singings and articles of the Volume Two of my E-bridge series books II: Together with Me, Learn Chinese Culture and Language by Enjoying Paintings, Music and Poetry . I will certainly complete all of the drafts before I leave for China in March. The only problem I am thinking: should I make the record of music and singings in China or in the USA?

People think that I am working too hard. My answer is: I am studying and enjoying the art of life and the artistic life. It is a hard but a enjoyable process.

Many times, I just sat there to see what I had painted for a long time, to enjoy the beauty on the picture and in my heart; Many times, I was attracted by the interesting culture phenomenon one by one behind the painting, poetry and music, to feel and to think what the practical significance and the inspiration they have showed between the lines for several hours, so that many times, I wanted to have a meal at a restaurant or a cafe, but when I raised up my head, it had been dark out of the window already. And sometimes, I did not go downstairs for 3 or 4 days... :-)

Because, except working on the series books ( my another book that was appointed by the publishing house My American Stories has not been started to write in Chinese yet ) and preparing the new art exhibition in the last half year of 2014. I am also thinking of editing and printing the 4 th album of my paintings in China and send them to the USA for the art exhibition in OTC before Feb 7, 2014. Time is really tight for me indeed.

Anyway, it was lucky that my two former Chinese roommates left some cookers and food for me in the kitchen, thought of they were younger than my son, how could I use their things free? So, I gave them 80 USD to “ buy ” their cookers while to help both of our sides. Then I have started to cook since Christmas sometimes. Can you imagine? My new American Chinese students thought that my food was delicious. :- )

Since Dec 2, I have painted 10 paintings, created 3 pieces of music, recorded 6 singings and wrote 7 articles. However, the biggest gain in my opinion is not the results on my painting board or keyboard, but in my mind and heart: I have really gotten so many inspirations from studying those ancient Chinese classical poems that was created 1100 or 1700 years ago. I have really tasted some delicious food of the soul, I mean the nourishment for the mind.

For example:

Dec 23, after I completed all of the jobs: to re-translate, to paint, to correct the music, to re-sing, re-record and re-write article to introduce the poem Ye Yu Ji Bei -- Sent to My Wife / Friend in the Northern Hometown in a Rainy Night, that was created 1100 years ago by Li Shangyin (813-858) to my readers, I did feel:

1. Happiness is not only from well-off materially, but also it can from what people are thinking, dreaming and pursuing.

When I wrote in the middle of this articles, I could not help standing up and smiling to myself, maybe I should write an article names gaze out / look up into the happiness, or dream of happiness? Because, sometimes, happiness is not from the reality, but it can be gotten from the imagination or a dream.

Many people always live and work in a happiness, not because they have a rich life, good work condition or a happy family, but because they have a beautiful dream, hope, imagination in their hearts.

To long for a happy day to come, will certainly bring people happiness. To live with a happy dream, people feel be in happiness when they are doing anything hard, difficult and even cruel in the others' eyes.

2. Happiness is from comparison. Comparatively speaking, to a person who is hungry, can have a meal, it is happiness; to a person who is sick, health is happiness; to a person who has experienced death, sees the sun is happiness. Therefore, we should have to cherish what we have had, and to live and to work with a grateful heart and positive life attitude for we are lucky enough to have food, health, and work opportunity, then we will be very happy every day.

3. A true master, a great artist is someone who is good at learning from the tradition and does not be limited by the tradition, but can create something new base on the studying tradition. Management is same. We have to learn something good from the ready experience, lesson and model every day, we must work with an opening mind to face and to make innovation and to create something new base on the ready experiences, models and regulations, otherwise, this world and our work would not be able to make progress.

To create, to innovation is something that an artist and a manger must think and inspires by example. This is more and especially important for us in the Internet Times.

Then, on Dec 30, after I completed the jobs on Qi Bu Shi -- The Quatrain of Seven Steps that was written 1700 years ago by Cao Zhi (192－232) , two famous Chinese phrases jumped into my mind:

One is: "兄弟同心，其利断金 - Xiong di tong xin, qi li duan jin ," means if the brothers are of the same mind, their sharpness can cut through metal. It is from the Zhou Yi, the original words are: “ 二人同心，其利断金 - Er ren tong xin, qi li duan jin, ” means if two people are of the same mind, their sharpness can cut through metal.

The other is: " 兄弟阋墙,家破人亡 - Xiong di xi qiang, jia bo ren wang " , the first part of this phrase from Shi Jing -Book of Poetry, means if brothers quarrel at home, their family will be broken up and its members will died.

Even though the times of Quatrain of Seven Steps has past for about 1700 years already, but, it can still give the contemporary people some meaningful inspiration:

1. The easiest way to capture a fortress is from within, no matter we work for a company, a school or a country, if we want it flourishing, prosperous and strong more and more, the precondition is to make the people inside united. A united organization or a nation, can face and overcome any difficult situation while to protect itself to be grown up and developed healthily.

2. Any leader with a jealous and a small mind would not only lose his or her friends, colleagues and followers, but also his family members. Even though he or she is glorious on some high position at some time, and be around of many pickthanks, he or she is certainly alone by himself /herself without any real backing. Of course, he or she will not be a good management forever.

So, now, the more I study the ancient Chinese poems, the more I enjoy it, the more I believe that I have found the best angle to continue my comprehensive art project: with Chinese poetry to connect my Chinese painting and Chinese language teaching, researching and creating. Base on Chinese painting, focus on Chinese poetry, assist them by Chinese music, translation and articles. Via servicing and enjoying target users ’ the eyes, ears, mouths, hands and souls, to help non-Chinese speakers and Chinese fans to learn Chinese culture, arts and language naturally, easily and artistically.

Now my problem is: how to make the potential work partners and the potential target users realize: this is a project that will certainly benefit them and their countries.

Anyway, I am sure: “ A long road tests a horse's strength and a long task proves a man's heart .” By the good leading and help of the God, my dream to help those people who need help with 120% sincerity and effort on a best suitable platform will be true somewhere some day certainly. I am confident with the day to come in the world.

You can hit the link to see the photos

Also you can hit the links below to see my new art works in the past 7 days.

How about you? Do you have anything special to share?
Shirley Yiping Zhang
Dec 30, 2013