How are you? Have you had a good week and enjoy your weekend? I do hope that everything is doing well and you are enjoying your weekend.

Thursday morning, I completed my second long scroll. With an easy heart, I painted a little painting. Then I had an idea -- to improve it to be a part of my combined art works. Then I re-painted it and updated my 47th combined art works.

When I worked on it, a strong feeling was that the new knowledge and skills that I have gotten in CAFA, has opened a new gate for me, I can create my combined art works with more methods and styles now.

It reminds me three words: Dreams, Knowledge and Gates.

Do you know? Many times, when I go out of the campus of CAFA after working for a long day, the taxi drivers often surprise why I am working so hard as same as the young students do, because in their opinions, it should be the duties of those children or teenagers. Facing their questions, I often smile or say, I am just 25 years old and I am dreaming to be an artist in the coming 30 years.

The first part of my words is a joke; the last part of the words is true. I have been keeping the dream since my childhood, even though it is later for 30 years, it is true now.

When I write here, I cannot help smiling. I am thinking, no matter who we are, no matter how old we are, as long as there is a dream in our minds, as long as we do not give up it, we would certainly make preparations on knowledge, skills or something else consciously or unconsciously, even though sometimes, it seems like impossible or ridiculous at the current time. For example:

-- In 1973, when I worked as a teen farmer with million and million city students together in the far away countryside, I dreamed to be a college student some day. Then I read books when my classmates were playing paper card or knitting at the break time in the field.

-- In 1978, when I started to major in Chinese language and literature in the college, I dreamed to read in a foreign language one day. Then I chose English as my elective lesson when most of my classmates had given up it. With the little money for a pair of new shoes, I bought my first 4 English books, then I attended the English lesson from A, B, C with more than 100 students from the other classes together. Then in 80’s in Wuxi, when I raised my baby son alone, I tied him on my bicycle, to attend the evening English lessons. Then in 2009, I got my master degree from USA.

-- In 1992, when I had a full time job after working as a part time employee for 3 months in Shenzhen, I dreamed to be an expert in my industry, then I attended my part time lessons on World Economy, News and Information, Administration for 7 years. While I became an editor of magazine and newspaper, a responsible chief ?general editor of series books, a department manager, vice general manager of Network Company and general assistant manager of the biggest Multi-media Company in our industry, from single paper media into the multi-media industry.

During the 19 years in Shenzhen, in the dog-eat-dog securities information industry, when many people lost their jobs or worried about their positions, I have been invited 19 times to work on some higher position. Why?

-- There was a dream in my mind, it brought me hope and drove me to learn continuously;
-- The new knowledge and skills that I got has helped me to knock at some new gates and opened them one by one.

Right now, the new knowledge and skills from CAFA has opened a new artistic gate for me. I know, it is not enough, but, I have known what I should do today and tomorrow...

How about you? Do you agree with my idea on the Dream, Knowledge and Gates?

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
June 13, 2011