How are you?

When you see this title, maybe you would like to ask what has happened to me.

Tonight, I basically completed my second landscape (103cm x 206cm - 40.55inches x 81.10inches) below after working on it for 11 days in the new classroom. I will ask the professors whether I should color it in the lessons tomorrow or Friday.

Anyway, during I worked on the new painting, many times, I thought of going back home at once, the cold weather in Beijing has affected my health - a half of my body is cold often, the ache in my bones has re-started, the worst thing is that my eyes cannot see clear recently, the latter happened first time Jan or Feb, 2010, then it is a long time to fight with the sickness in my spine until now…

Many friends wonder why there is no any heat supplied in my classroom and in my living room since it should be offered before Nov 15 in Beijing?

-- This is a new cultural industry development area in Gao Bei Dian Village, Chaoyang Region in Beijing. There are many Chinese style buildings here or there, but, 80% or 90% of the house are empty, they have not entered the post station’s systems yet (my newspaper cannot be sent even). Machines and workers are working on building more houses and roads here or there, by the streets between the school and my home, just walk for about 5 minutes, there are 4 building sites, many deep channels are round of the building that I am living in since I moved into it, so that I have tumbled myself down in it and could not clime out of it in the nights at least twice...

-- A worker told me that they are going to fix the tubes of water supply, the tubes of the heat supplied, and the tubes of domestic sewage in the same channels. This job will not be completed within 1 month...

-- A clerk in the building management office told me that they have not been given any schedule to supplied heat yet.

According to this situation, I decided to leave for home many times, but I was stopped by the wonderful lessons. The more I learn, the more I feel that I need directions from my tutors and professors; I need to hear their comments on my paintings. I do feel that to be commented is the best may to improve myself.

So, on the 7th day I worked on the new painting, I bought an electric room heater to warm the classroom since I am the only student who keeps working in the flower and bird painting section ( There is really air-condition inside, but, it could only warm the classroom 13 to 14 C degrees). By the good help of it I have felt much better.

Do you know what I felt when I was learning to paint this picture from Mr. Fan Kuan – who has been acknowledged the best landscape artist in Song Dynasty and in whole of the Chinese landscape history?

-- I was talking with the great ancient artist; I could even feel the lines and the points are concaved into the paper after 992 years...

-- I felt delight during the process to paint and think, every time, I carried my painting that had not been finished back home, to have my simple meals or go to sleep by looking at it, a big smile came on my face...

-- I felt that I should have a travel to visit Taiwan, to look at the original painting with my own eyes in the Palace Museum there.

I will have to think of the thing whether I should go back home seriously, after the lesson tomorrow and Friday, but, I am not giving up my art learning forever. I will go forward in the waggling... :- )

Do you have anything special to share?

If you were me, would you keep studying in Beijing while keep fighting with the sicknesses and the cold weather or go back home to improve your health at the first?

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
Nov 28, 2012(Beijing Time)