How are you? I do hope that you are doing well and enjoy your weekend.

Finishing the last week of the first term in CAFA, flying for 3 hours, I came back home in Shenzhen last night.

Do you know what I felt and did this week in Beijing?

-- When I attended the lesson by Prof. Mingjing Yao on Monday, a strong feeling was that Prof. Yao opened a window in my mind. Since then, I have been thinking, if we can do something via changing some good traditional Chinese paintings to be abstract patterns or paintings, maybe it can work in the Industry Pattern Design, to help the development of the economy directly. According to this idea, I did my first 3 exploration paintings and got a positive comment by Prof. Yao, many of my classmates also said that maybe I should develop myself in this field. :-)

-- On Tuesday, I went to the Chinese Landscape Painting lesson by Prof. Xiaodong Cui for whole of the day. Except I felt that Prof. Cui opened another window for me, I did also feel something in my heart was pushing me to go into the Great Nature, to feel the special peaceful heart and to practise the refined manners that the traditional Chinese paintings have brought to the Chinese intellectuals. So, I went to the office of our tutor to buy the 2nd professional bag for Chinese painting from life as soon as the lesson was finished. I have bought it back home already, I would really like to paint from the nature in the warm Shenzhen in my winter holiday.

From Wednesday to Friday, I took about 1000 photos of the paintings and papers by the faculties of School of Chinese Painting of CAFA, read a test book by Professor Xiaodong Cui, watched the video of the other professors and instructors whom I had missed from September to November, 2010, kept painting in the classroom until 9:30pm in the fierce windy winter night -- before 11 hours I left for the Beijing Airport.

Now I would like to share the first landscape painting that I have completed in CAFA and my first painting in 2011. Hope to hear your comments.

Even though I am suffering the sickness on my body, in my heart, is full of the enjoyment and the special happiness from the art learning and studying.

The biggest gain this week is that I realized that Chinese traditional painting is based on the Chinese traditional philosophy, especially Tao. Therefore, those great Chinese artists and art educationists pay more attention to stress Yin,Yang, Qi and so on. The appreciation of the beauty of Chinese painting is based on the respect both of the beauty of the object and the painting theory.

With this idea, I have started to have some new perceptions, no matter a painting, a line and a brush in the "old books" that I had read. I am thirsting for the reading and painting, not only the painting itself, but also the Chinese culture in it.

Can you imagine? I was punished once more for my too heavy luggage at the airport. I was smiling when I paid the money; after all, I have carried the heavy books, data and painting tools with me. I was reading for whole of the flying process, included the time that I was in the aisle to wait for using the washroom.

I felt so good for I found the Ancient Chinese and the Classical Literature that I majored in for my bachelor degree and the same knowledge that I taught my students as an instructor in a college is helping me to read and understood the Chinese painting theory that was written by the ancient Chinese language quickly.

Once more, this unexpected and good find firmed my confidence to learn and study the Chinese culture relates to painting, music, language and literature for whole of my rest life.

So, I am going to paint, to read and to watch the video of my professors and instructors in my winter holiday, to catch the missed lessons, while to discuss the problems with my doctors and bosses:

-- Should I go back to Beijing to continue my study in CAFA after the winter holiday since my first-term sick leave will be finished in March, 2011?
-- Should I go back to the company to continue to work with the sickness until Sep, 2012, then to retire normally?
-- Should I continue a sick leave since I have to take medicine to control my disease every day?
-- Do I have any the other choice?

No matter what will happen to me, no matter whether I can go back to CAFA next term, art learning and studying will accompany me forever. I am going to face any difficulty and challenge with a peaceful heart.

A piece of good news is that my first music teacher Mr. Xuan M, one of my former bosses Mr. Yaping J and Mrs. Renrong Y - the wife of my former instructor/professor came to see me in the campus one by one. My classmates and I were so touched to see them in our classroom in the windy and cold winter. Our monitor and classmates Mr. Guangyin Y, Mr. Zhiyong L and Mr. Jiantian Z have sent some of their painting works to my guests and invited them to come to our classroom again.

I would really like to remember and to cherish the great friendship from all of them forever.

The bad news is that I do find the price soaring in Shenzhen and much normal food price is higher 50% than I left for Beijing 50 days ago, so that I am really a little bit worrying how to live in case I retire. :- )

Do you have any idea, suggestions for me? Do you have anything special in your life?

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 16, 2011