Some problem was in my system so that some friends have not got this letter that I had sent on Sunday. So, I try to send it to you once more, and hope you can get it smoothly. I am sorry for the inconvenient.

How are you? I do hope that you are well and have a easy and relaxed weekend.

As soon as I came back from my travelling and saw my son leaving for abroad, I involved myself into work. Except daily work and the long term cooperated project with an American company, I am leading 2 project groups to work on our disaster backup systems and to fix our own listed companies' industry sorts standard. Meanwhile, I am organizing some departments to update the advertisement process. Our 7th English training, 2nd Yoga and Chorus will start next week.

I have 3 or 5 meetings every day. I am busy and interested in everything, I am working on with a peaceful psychology and plentiful energy so that many friends wander how I can do that.

How? I would like to answer it with a Chinese ancient art theory, "To walk 10,000 miles and to read 10,000 books", plus my own "theory", to learn something new every day.

Before 2003, the much reading on language, literature, economy, journalism and administration had helped me to work and exist. The traveling later is helping me to see the world with a wider eyes view and an opened mind. From paying attention to the surface difference of a culture via architectures, history and something by manual work, to paying more attention to the nature itself and the affection of the nature to the human society. From paying attention to the details of a single flower or a bird, to paying more attention to a combined result, to see a landscape with its people, rivers, mountains, sun and moon together, to feel a nature or a culture phenomena at the same time and to think of their relations and affections. The new thinking styles from my traveling is helping my work in the company and my art and music learning in my free time.

When I came back from Southeast Asia in 1997, I took back many work notes and photos and I published my 6th book in my professional field. After I came back from Europe in 2000, I wrote a series of traveling diaries in English and then I published my first translation series with 4 books in 2002. After I came back from Yunnan and Guangxi in 2004, I created my first picture of peacock and my art teacher thought that my flowers and birds had more lives inside. My vocal music teacher felt that I came down to earth much more. After I came back from Zhangjiajie in 2006, I created my first painting with snow and moon and it got a reward in the company. Since I came back from Yunnan last weekend, I have created a new landscape painting, have introduced two songs about Shangrila, and have written two articles about the Mosuo by Luguo Lake and the Tibetan Culture in Shangrila. I will write something about Naxi people around of Lijiang soon.

I am interested in learning and exploring of different cultures more and more. It is helping me to cherish what I have had and to treat the others with more tolerant and calm heart. Anyway, I have realized that my knowledge and skills are not enough to work on it. So, I have visited my new vocal music teacher who is from Shanghai Music College. She has started to direct me to sing since this weekend. She will also teach me to accompany. I am also thinking of attending a studying of English Language and Literature by a university from Bejing (More and more Chinese and Western universities are offering some lessons in Shenzhen now, I will not need to fly to the other city as I did for my economics learning 10 years ago). I am interested in its 14 lessons for it includes Shakespeare researching, Western culture, America researching, English language Development history and so on. The problem is my time and I have not made a decision yet.

What is your biggest feeling from a traveling? Do you enjoy the learning via your traveling? Do you think an artist/a person should walk 10,000 miles, read 10,000 books and learn forever?

I am just a learner on art, music, English and the work on the web site in my free time. Anyway, I would really like to do a little bit things with what I have learned to make this little web site to be An Electronic Bridge Of Culture Exchange, Friendship and Language Learning. During the process to help the others and to improve myself.

I do appreciate your understanding, directions and supports. I do hope to get your great help continuously now and in the coming time...

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please write to shirley@ebridge.cn or shirleyz004@yahoo.com. You are welcomed to publish your opinions in the forum.

Shirley
Written and Edited on Sun, July 22, 2007