Happy New Year! And I do hope you and your family members will be luckier and more successful in 2017.

This is my 4th Christmas and New Year's Day in the US, and the 9th week of my current American travel.

In the past 7 days in the US, except inviting Mr. Tim Stoll and Mr. Jacob Stoll (they are on the photo with this letter) to have a lunch in a Chinese restaurant for thanking them for repairing my floor and for driving me to At&T to pay my bill (for my international call ) Dec 27, 2016, I have politely declined 3 invitations with thanks, but focused on my painting, English and research jobs.

This week, the strongest feeling which has moved me is the word “ Professional” .

First of all, I am so impression the professional work and kindness of Mr. Tim Stoll and Mr. Jacob Stoll of Superior Company, Springfield, MO.

It was about Nov 17, as soon as I handed in the manuscript of my new book, record of music, and photos of the paintings to the publishing house, I called Mr. John David Lawson and Mr. John Walker for asking help for my new floor that was fixed in Feb and March, 2016, but deformed and moved before I came back in Oct. Quickly, two experts came to check my floor. Both of the two companies of the experts are quite professional but I chose the Company Superior for Mr. Tim Stoll gave me a formal quotation in 3 hours by email and a good price.

An awkward thing was Dec 27 is the day I should go to At&T but Mr. Tim Stoll and Jacob Stoll would fix my floor on the same day. Although I could go to At&T on Dec 26, I worried about my traffic issue because I couldn’t catch a taxi on Dec 22 so that I had to walk back home in a rain after waiting for about 40 minutes. So, I wrote Mr. Time Stoll to see whether it is possible for them to drive me to At & T or whether we can postpone their work time later a half day or one day. Then I got an answer that they would like to help.

Then first time I saw a so big and so professionally technical vehicle at 8:00am, Dec 27, 2016. Quickly they cut and removed something between the walls and the floor and between the rooms under the doors, cut a part of the edge of the floor, repaired the broken parts and then re-fixed everything. You cannot imagine how long time they used on the jobs? Deduct the time we went out, they used just for 7 hours.

If saying, I was surprised for seeing a lot of strange machines and tools and admired their professional work so much, then I could hardly believe my ears at the time I wanted to write a check of $710 according to the price on the quotation, but Mr. Time Stoll asked me to pay just $425, for they did not repair my kitchen and they appreciated me for offering a lunch… oh my Godness! When I heard these, tears suddenly came into my eyes. I did not know how to thanks the God for he had sent some so kind American friends to help me at the most difficult time in my long distance travel as a foreigner, who had suddenly met so much unexpected extra payment within the short 2 months for so many unexpected accidents ( the two channels’ cell phone I had prepared in China did not work in the US and I had to buy a new American cell phone as soon as I went out of the airplane, to repair the new floor; I lost my Chinese cell phone while wounding my ankle and had to see a doctor in an Urgent Care, bought the airplane tickets for going back Beijing for taking part in my thesis proposal conference but had to give up the flights and the tickets cannot be refund; to be informed to postpone graduate and get my MFA later for one year but need to pay the extra tuition for the delayed one year; to prepare to confront the possible chain reactions relates to the postpone... and had to cancel the original travel plan between America and Australia to spend a summer Christmas holiday with my son and his fiancee in Sydney). To be honest, although the thing has passed for few days, right now, when I am writing to you, tears cannot be helping flowing down my face. With so much gratitude, I asked Mr. Tim Stoll and Mr. Jacob Stoll who is a senior student of a medicine college to choose one of my Chinese landscapes as their Christmas Gift…

I am sure, with this kind of professional work and professional kindness, the company Superior of Mr. Tim Stoll and the career of Mr. Jacob Stoll will be more successful in 2017 and in the future.

The secondly, I am impression the professional education and directions of professor Mu Jiashan who is my tutor and supervisor for my MFA. Do you know what he has taught me since I became his graduated student ahead for 2 months than the other students ( the normal time should be the middle of Sept ) since July, 2016?

On July 15, he gave me a long Chinese painting course for 6 hours face to face and asked me to paint 300 paintings, now I have completed 96; on July 24, he showed me how to write Calligraphy face to face for about 4 hours and in August, he pointed me to write calligraphy by following some ancient Chinese calligraphists, and now, I have completed 65; in Sept, he directed to write the outline of my paper via cell phone and corrected it for me 3 times; in Nov, he directed me to write my thesis proposal by long distance calls and wechat and I wrote 7,500 Chinese characters twice while fighting with my wound; in Dec, he listed me 60 books and I have read 5 of them and I had read another 5 before; this week, he asked me to observe and try to understand the wonderful places of any famous ancient Chinese paintings I have touched and I have written my first critique of an ancient Chinese painting and I will do it as long as I touch a new ancient painting in the future. And now, he is directing me how to think, research the humanities of traditional Chinese paintings…

A strong feeling is: If saying my first American art and music teacher Mr. Charlie K had led me going back to the art study road since 2002, 59 professors in both of China Central Academy of Fine Arts and Chinese National Academy of Arts have guided me approaching to the professional gate from an amateur 2010 to 2015, now, Professor Mu Jiashan is the tutor who is helping me become a professional step to step.

With so much gratitude, in the past 7 days of this week, instead of going out of the door, I have been involving myself into my Chinese painting study, English learning and the research work.

-- On painting, I have completed 2 new paintings with the size totally 780cm x 36 cm ( 307.08 inches x 14.17inches );
-- On English, I have heard and read aloud 30 articles by following the broadcaster of VOA, each articles read 3 times and checked every new word, and did dictation 90 paragraphs;
-- On research, besides I have written my first painting comment, I have also checked 19 ancient traditional Chinese art groups, about 60 most famous masters and their 100 representative works in about 1,060 years from about 850 to 1911, for preparing my dissertation and for my own strong interesting in the humanistic spirit of the classical Chinese landscapes since they are the highest achievements in Chinese painting field.

I do appreciate the God for giving me the scarce opportunity to stay in the 2 best art colleges of China for 8 years from 2010 to 2019. I do appreciate he has given me the good opportunity to teach in the USA in the past 8 years as a volunteer and maybe give me a possibility to start to teach as a professional from the USA…

No matter what will happen to me in 2017 and in the future, I will more cherish my luck and try to do my best for becoming a professional and for having the qualification to work and to create my own cross-cultural and comprehensive art for helping more people and the progress of human civilization while maximizing my own life value…

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, Language & Friendship. To help the others and this world while improving myself and realizing my own value of life.

I would really 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.

Sincerely,

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Jan 1, 2017 (American Time)