How are you?

Maybe you are surprised why Shirley has written a letter so early this week and why Shirley feels sorrow?

Monday morning, I called my work partner Mr. Charlie Quang Zhang (he is on the second photo on the left) to make an appointment with another 2 friends for a meeting before he left for the US. Then I was shocked by the news that his mother had passed away 1 year ago. Oh, my Godness! Since 1996, Charlie became my subordinate, I have been thinking someday when I have time, I should go to visit his mother and to invite her to have a meal, because she often said I had treated and "used" her son as my own son…and no matter where I go, always I give my keys to Charlie and his wife, even it was their father who looks after my birds… Although we have not met each other, we have been quite acquaint with each other and always I wasn’t in a hurry for I feel we will have plenty time in the future. Imperceptibly, 19 years have passed and she has gone before I go to see her face to face, so that I have not known what she looks like yet…

Then suddenly I lost the news from one of my best friends whom I wished to visit but I have not gone yet; I promised to paint a picture with a specific bird the friend enjoyed in 2009 but I have not painted it with Chinese Gongbi style yet for I did not thought my painting level have reached the level to create a decent painting yet. Then on Wednesday, I was told that the friend was hospitalized...

Undoubtedly, I am sure, you know what a sorrowed person I am! How a guilty feeling I have! Maybe for the sorrow and the upset in my heart, I fell down on the ground without reason in a toward evening but luckily a girl helped me re-stood up.

With so much sorrow and a guilty heart, bored the stomachache, besides working on my daily work, I have completed a painting for matching a Chinese classical poem below. This is the 7th I created / painted a picture to match the poem and I completed it in Chinese National Academy of Arts in July, 2015, but I had no time to complete the poem in Beijing. So, I took it without the poem with me to go to the USA in August, 2015, then I carried it without the poem yet with me back to China in Feb，2016. Always I thought I would have time to match the poem for it in the future, until I got the two pieces of sad news, I felt I myself like a guilty person who has made some mistakes that cannot be forgiven. Then I completed it quickly.

With the same guilty heart, I have called my son and I am going to work on immigrating Australia to have a reunion with him. Since it needs for about 3 years, I will continue to work between the USA and China; even though some day I have settle down in Australia, I will still work on something I have worked for 7 years in the USA with some methods.

I will never forget the sorrowed lesson and try to work on anything I have thought and I should do in time and never delay or suspend today’s work to the next day…

I am praying for the friend in the hospital would get better as soon as possible, would be able to see the specific bird in person some day... after all, right now, I am not in the emotion to create a Chinese Gongbi or Chinese Mogu painting yet...

Before I finished this letter, I would like to thank the general manager Li Ronghui (he is on the first photo) of a computer company which has looked after my car in the past 6 or 7 years ( and a young clerk of his company drove it ). Not only has he sent my “Blue Horse” back in person, but also he sent a new laptop to me as a memory.

I would like to thank Mr. Ray Heaton from Britain who is a native English speaker and a volunteer for he has checked and corrected my last article twice last week on introducing the poem by Li Bai – Zeng Wanglun.

I would also like to thank Ms. Liu Xiaojun (she is in the red clothes on the second photo) who department manager of a company for she has bought something for helping me to manage the fund that was donated by the Mr. Liu Shaotao (he is in the middle on the second photo) who is a general manager of a fund company for my second book of the last series.

How about you? Do you have anything specical 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
April 24, 2016 (American Local Time)