How are you? Have you had a good weekend?

On my side, people are enjoying a three-day' National Holiday -- May Day Vacation, and in some industry, people will have the holiday for 6 or 7 days.

To be honest, one hand, I am happy for China's economy can support people to have more and more vacations (just in the first half of a year, there are 5 national vacations for New Year's Day, Spring Festival, Tomb Sweeping Day, May Day and the Dragon-boat Festival); the other hand, I have also felt the too many vacations often cut the continuity of a project or a work, make it into too many phases, a lot of things have been delayed already.

I am thinking, if these short holidays can been combined to few long vacations, maybe it is more convenient with people to arrange their life and to improve their work efficiency?

Anyway, since there is no any different between a holiday and a vacation for me, as soon as my new album of paintings were printed OK on Monday (April 21) and be sent to my destination of a upcoming travel from the Printing House directly, I entrusted the company with my little donation to the disaster area of the earthquake, sent 4 of the new paintings for my vocal, bilingual poetry and painting series to be decorated, I have been involving myself into the pure painting itself.

Until now,I have completed a new painting and re-painted two paintings.

In the process, I truly had time and in the emotion to enjoy the flowers by the road and I re-felt the enjoyment that had lost for about 4 months since I came back from Beijing and evolved myself into the publication that will be published by a university publishing house before June. I had just found back the long time no felt relaxation, calm and happiness in my heart.

Also I felt lucky enough for I had gotten so much valuable help, support and encouragement at the most difficult times:

-- As in April, 2010 and in Sep, 2011, I started to work on my albums of paintings on the 7th day and 14th day to my international travels, I began my 3rd album of paintings in a hurry for some unexpected reason. It was my brother in Wuxi, gave me a hand, he not only paid for the design and the extremely high print fee (for I just painted 200 copies and each copy 62 pages for my travel specially), but also, he sent the heavy packs from the print-house directly to my destination...

-- At the most frustration time that I had to give up my first travel that should be started off April 14, except my former company sent a group of managers to see me, a group of my former classmates came to see me, some former colleagues and a producer of TV producer from Shenzhen TV station came to see me, I have also gotten much help and support vis emails. I would like to share a part of the great encouragement and some quite philosophical ideas from Dr. Huo Xuewen:

Celebrate you have developed your own comprehensive art method with your own unique information, thoughts and attitudes, to deliver Chinese culture in person in USA.

In fact, perfection is just an impression in theory. This world itself is imperfect and tends to go to the perfect. Therefore, any imperfection is the reality. Just like your idea, painting, poetry and music are tending perfect along with the time. The imperfection is just the best state in the development process, because, it will push us to strive positively always, will is strong, there is full of the dreams, optimism and making progress every day. Therefore, let us appreciate the current imperfect state. Then, when you come back from your travel, maybe you will have more ideas to improve your original imagination.

Capital lack is a normal state and an imperfect beauty for people who are developing their undertakings. You should be happy and appreciate this situation, for it is the touchstone to drive you to take out of the best ideas and to create the best products. I believe that you are mainly working on delivering your ideas, design your products, exerting the influence at this time. As far as your product, as long as it has market, foreground and gain, under the market economy condition, there will be certainly men of insight to invest on it.

Try to combine the strength from different angles, then to make a great career; try to keep a strong will, then to make a success.

祝贺你成功地开发或发明出了属于你自己并带有你独特信息、意志和态度、方法的中国文化传播综合方法与产品，并亲自赴美传播成功。

实际上，圆满完美只是理论上的意念构造，世界只是带有缺憾的不完美趋向完美，因此，任何不完美都是现实，正如你的思路、画作和诗音画产品日趋完美一样，没有达到完美境界才是发展中的最佳状态，因为它让我们始终积极奋斗，始终意志如钢，始终充满理想，始终乐观向上。让我们感谢不完美的现在状态吧。也许你走一圈下来，你会有更多想法来更新你原来的设想。

发展事业的人缺乏资金，是一种常态和缺憾美，应该高兴和感谢，这是让你始终拿出最好的想法和产品的试金石。我相信，你重在传播理念，重在构思产品，重在扩大影响，至于你的产品，只要有市场，有前景，有收获，在市场经济条件下，一定会有有识之士出资兴办的。

聚合力，成大事。志坚强，事必成

With so many apparitions in my heart, I am going to work hard on my art study and creating. I do wish to help more people with what I have learned, while to improve myself every day.

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

I am just a student on Arts of Painting, Music, English and Management, to work on the web site in my free time. I would really like to do somethings with what I have learned to make this little web site to be an Electronic Bridge of Cross - Culture and Comprehensive Arts Exchange, Chinese Culture and 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
April 29, 2013(Beijing Time)