How are you?

I started this letter at Holiday Inn Express at Univ, KY in Lexington, Kentucky, USA at 5:30am, May 8, America time.

I left home for Hong Kong at 8:00am, May 7, 2013, Chinese time, flew for about 14 hours, reached at the Chicago Airport at 1:55pm, May 7, American time. Waiting for about 8 hours, I boarded the second flight at about 9:25pm, and reached at the Airport of Lexington at 11:39pm.

After stopping for 1 night, visiting Mrs.Booth, I will have another travel by car for 2 hours this afternoon, then to be in my destination of my travel -- City of Pikeville, Kentucky, USA.

Sponsored by City of Pikeville, Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center and the Artisan Alliance of Pikeville & Pike County, my 3rd comprehensive art exhibition (includes paintings, poetry, music, singing, pure Chinese paintings and demonstrations) and free Chinese art class series (14 or 15 or more times )in USA will be held in the Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center, the Hampton Inn and some local publish schools May 10 - May 21.

This is a travel that was started to plan in Sep, 2009, that was canceled in May 2010 and be performed finally in May, 2013. There are too many moved stories behind it.

Here are just something that happened in the past 3 or 5 days:

In China:

-- Via some long distance telephone calls in the May Day Holiday, Mrs. Gong Min who is an nurse head of Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, connected several doctors to help me before the long distance travel;

-- Mrs. Yu Yanjie designed and printed the business card within for a half day;

-- Mr. Zhang Shuliang started-up my car that had stopped there for about 1 year changed the battery, his classmate and him will look after it when I am not at home;

-- Mr. Shaochun booked an electronic Chinese and English dictionary online for me before I started the travel.

-- Mr. Charlie Quang Zhang drove me to the customs, sent me to Hong Kong and did everything ok for me at the Hong Kong Airport, included to deal with my penalty ( as usual, I was punished about 500 USD for my heavy luggage).

-- My new cleaning lady Mrs. Zhang helped me on every detail, included something I did not ask her to do -- washed my clothes, changed my bedspread, sew on some buttons that are torn off and everything she had seen that needed to do.

In USA:

-- Dr. Bill Booth arranged my hotel in Lexington and he picked up me at the airport at about 12:00am and carried my heavy luggage even though he itself is sick at this time and needs to the help of the oxygen in the night time.

-- Mrs. Leigh Ann Hughes who is the Grant Administrator of City of Pikeville, and the Director of The Artisan Alliance of Pikeville/Pike County, whom I have not met yet, she arranged everything for my visiting and work in City Pikeville, even she would like to pick up me at my hotel and traveled for me for about 4 hours.

-- Several unknown and friendly American friends at Chicago Airport helped me to find the customer service, to pick up my oversize luggage, charged my computer by finding an electric outlet, helped me to carry my luggage on the airplane, at the airport with many smiles…

To be honest, there are really too many things I would like to share with you. Since I am now still on my road. I would like to just write a short letter to say Hello to you, later, to share them with you. OK?

Since I have brought 105 pieces of my recent paintings that I painted at Chinese National Academy of Arts and China Central Academy of Fine Arts ( Nov, 2010 – April, 2013), since I would like to deliver what I have been studying, thinking and exploring for about 12 years, to hear the responding, sugguestions and advice of the local American friends, officers, students and my target users; to learn American culture and language, to improve my own work.

So, if you are interested in my idea and the art learing, researching, practice and my art works, try to join us or give a hand to me, or just have a fine, you are welcome to try

A Taste of China Art Gallery
and
A Taste of China–Free Art Classes

in City of Pikeville, Kentucky, USA.

I am looking forward to seeing you with a big smile, with you together,
Enjoy and paint Chinese paintings by yourself;
Listen to and sing Chinese poetry songs by yourself;
Read and recite chinese poetry and vocabulary... :-)


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 Exchange, Chinese Culture and 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
May 8, 2013(American Time)