How are you? Have you started a wonderful new week already? I do hope you have.

I started this letter at 5:50 a.m., Tuesday, Beijing time, for I was waken up by a stomachache at 5:12a.m., so that I made a joke to myself: It maybe God wanted me to be a early bird ? :- )

Since I came back school March 10, 45 days have passed. During the time, I attended classes by 5 famous Chinese art Professors; painted from the nature 32 times and completed the required time of the college 200% before the team of my schoolfellows start off to the Taihang Mountains April 22; painted 7 traditional Chinese paintings; created 1 comprehensive art work include poem, painting, music and article; did 4 kinds of former comprehensive English examination papers and 405 of 1100 classificatory tests that I would like to do before May 25, made notes 110 pages and used up 4 pens. :- )

To be hones, I had completed this letter to you before I walked out of the door to paint under a big peach blossom tree by the street in the cold wind and the little bit drizzle yesterday afternoon at 4:30pm. However, at the moment I found all of the things I needed for cooking a meal that I wished to have for a long time in a wonderful small supermarket that I have seen it though the window since the first day I lived into my apartment, but I did not walk there once for I did not want to walk on the former muddy road ( it has been bult well and launched last week ) at all, with a lovely surprise, I decided to give this letter a new title and rewrite it.

Then I did since 5:30a.m. this morning.

Because, as a student who is studying in my 8th university, I do feel:

-- To help each student to find the most suitable development road according to his or her characteristics in the stage of postgraduate education, maybe the biggest help and the most benefit to the student.

I had this idea after the lessons of Professor Man Weiqi – the Executive Associate Dean of Chinese Painting College at Chinese National Academy of Arts (he is in the middle of the photos in the blue clothes) on Monday, April 14, 2014.

As usual, Professor Man checked up all the assignments of all students, and gave different student a different instruction and asked them to read and to learn from different masters in the history of Chinese art according to the different work content and work style of each student. When he checked my assignments, except pointing out the places that I should pay more attention to correct and improve, such as where I should paint an affirmative line, where I should add more contents... once more, and maybe the 4th time, he asked me to learn from Mr. Ren Bonian (1840 - 1895) since he is the master and met the highest level on Chinese figure painting, flower and bird painting and landscape in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). What I should do is to learn and to use his methods, to create my own art works.

What Professor Man said reminded me the words of another Professor Han Xuezhong – Head of Teaching Department of Chinese Painting College at CNAA said to us in 2012: a Chinese painter should work like an actor of Beijing Opera, as soon as you start to sing, you should make people know where you are from, in the other word, which genre you belong to. Then it is possible for you to have a foothold in the traditional Chinese arts field.

As a lucky student, I have been taught and instructed by 49 best art professors and tutors of China in Beijing. Two of them have influenced me most on my own art study and development road. One is Professor Chen Ping – Tutor of Doctoral Students and Associate Dean of Chinese Painting College at China Central Academy of Fine Arts. June 18, 2011, before I completed my study in CAFA, Professor Chen Ping checked my creations for my comprehensive art project, he said: my idea about combining Chinese painting, music and poetry together is very good, but, at this time, artistically, you should stop your creative job temporarily, to paint 100 ancient paintings by learning from those masters in Chinese history, mainly in Song Dynasty (960-1279) and in Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), then you would have a strong foundation to work on your project (now, I have completed more than 230); musically, you should learn from Mr. Jiang Baishi. Also, remembered, poetry is the core of Chinese painting and the highest level... Then in November, 2011, I met the other most important one -- Professor Man Weiqi. He did not only direct a specific road for me, but also, he has been supervising how I should go, whether I have been on the right and individualized road. As long as he found me had walked out of the road ( since there are too many things attracted me in the history and in the contemporary era ), he corrected me and drew me back to the established road until today. :- )

In the other words, in Chinese National Academy of Arts, not all students who major in same subject do the same thing, but be given difficult assignments according to each student's wish and characteristics.

So, now, when I am writing here, I cannot help smiling for I think of a classical theory of a master in Tang Dynasty ( 618 - 907) -- Mr. Han Yu: 师者，所以传道授业解惑也 shi zhe, suo yi chuan dao, shou ye jie huo ye -- teacher is the person to transmit wisdom, impart knowledge and solve doubts.

I am thinking, undoubtedly, it is wonderful for the basic education of the K-12 and undergraduate education, but, in a college and university, in the phase of the graduated education, the duties of a professor or a tutor maybe not only something as Han Yu said, but also to help their students to choose the best and most suitable development road according to the characters of each student?

-- In my another letter to you, I had written that the beauty was just by the streets, around us. Today, I would like to say, the more beautiful things may be in the far way, the most wonderful things may be in the end of the world or in the depth of the lofty mountains and high range. As lifelong students of life, we have to not only read ten thousand books, but also we should walk many ten thousands miles by our feet down to earth, then we can find the truth and the most beautiful things in the world. Do you agree with me?

The good news: Monday morning, Professor Man Weiqi praised me as “ the student who worked hardest ” in his class to all of the students. Monday afternoon, three of our tutors held up their thumbs to encourage me when they saw me back from the painting from the nature on the street. :- )

The best and funny news: more than one classmate asked me “ How old are you? Have you met 40? ” Wow! My Godness! What a good question it was! Right? :- )

How about you? Do you have anything special to share?

Sincerely,


Shirley Yiping Zhang
April 16, 2014 (Beijing Time)