How are you?

This is the 7th week I am in the second semester in CNAA.

Now my feeling is the more near the ending of the studying, the more questions I have and the more I want to continue the study, not only on painting itself, but also the culture behind of the picture.

So, after I completed the first painting this week to match the poem Zao Mei -- plum blossom in the early spring on Monday, except attending lessons, worked on the other two new paintings, I have been studying something about Chinese plum blossoms culture, to support my painting, music, poem, langauge and all of the things relate to plum blossoms.

-- On philosophy level, I studied the four virtues of the plum blossoms, relationship among the four virtues, Yi Jing ,Zhu Xi ( 1130 ～1200 ) ‘s Li, and some term of Chinese ancient philosophy that relates to the four virtues.

-- On folk art level, I learned the five symbolized meanings of the 5 petals of plum blossoms in the comment people, to learn some folk paintings’ meanings.

-- On plum blossoms’ living environment and character level, I learned and understood why Chinese intelligentsia have been enjoying it, visiting it, learning it and praising it via writing, painting, singing and almost all of the art styles.

The more I study, the more I am interested in Chinese culture, the more I am proud of I myself is a native Chinese who can read, speak and study our own culture in my mother tongue, while I feel a social obligation to help more people who are Non-Chinese speakers to learn Chinese culture that also belongs to whole of the human being.

The more I study, the more I appreciate the professors, editors and the tutors in the Publishing Press at Jinan University, Missouri State University, Chinese National Academy of Arts, China Central Academy of Fine Arts and the other five universities in China and in USA that I have been a stude in there... just because of their good help, educations and directions, I have not only found a comprehensive art road in the cross- culture field, but also, I am going on it step by step down to earth.

With a grateful heart, even though my health does not support me attending the lesson of painting from the nature with my shoolfellows together in Taihang Mountain, I will fly back Shenzhen on the same day they set off, to see my doctors, and to paint from the nature in the Shenzhen Botanical Gardens or the Wildlife Park or just in the garden, I will also do my best to complete the assignments that the Dean of Chinese Painting School at Chinese National Academy of Arts -- Prof. Man Weiqi has given us : to paint 50 sketches in the 5 days and summarize 10 drafts from these sketches. It will be a quite hard job , it will be a good opportunity to improve myself.

Some good news is:

-- The times of my stomachache has reduced about 50%;
-- Since Feb 12, three of my twenty-one paintings earned good comments from almost all classmates and tutors who have seen it;
-- My painting size is getting bigger along with the time, this week, I have completed a new painting that is high 232 cm (91.33inches) first time.
-- My writing on Chinese classical poem has gotten the praise by the publishing house.
-- The registered readers of my little web site has reached 7400.

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

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
April 2, 2012(Chinese Time)