How are you? Have you had a good week? Are you enjoying your weekend or enjoying your new week?

How time flies! It has been 16 days since I wrote to you last time.

In the past 2 weeks and 2 days, I have attended 3 lessons by 2 professors and 1 assistant to my supervisor for about 12 hours, painted 14 pictures and written 9 calligraphies and also made a study summery for the 2016 (-2017 ) class year.

In fact, my school – the Graduate School at Chinese National Academy of Arts has started its summer vacation since July 15, but I am staying in Beijing for catching up my lessons -- For improving my Chinese painting foundation, my supervisor has offered me a benefits for free -- to take part in his a class in another school for 1 year, to make up the leaks in my knowledge structure... :-)

There were 4 big things in the past 2 weeks in my study and life:

-- Until July 15, 2017, I have been a graduate student for master degree under my Supervisor Professor Mu Jiashan of Chinese National Academy of Arts for 1 year.

Therefore, I wrote a summery to summarize my study in the past 1 year and make a plan for my new study in the upcoming 2 years.

Except the general plan for the study, there is a new and special duty in my plan: to improve my health and try to lengthen my life for studying and working longer for serving the society and the beautiful world. This is really a quite big lesson and pain experience for me for I could not study and work normally for suffering the sicknesses and wounds at least 4 times in the past 1 year.

-- Until July 15, 2017, the direction of my dissertation has been made sure. My supervisor thought that I have chosen a good direction. He is quite interested in what I would like to talk and it is also his strong point. Therefore, now, no matter what I am doing, painting, writing calligraphy or reading, there is always a new definite purpose in my mind : to think and to do some research jobs for preparing my paper.

Instead of writing a paper combining my business plan and study as I had thought before, now, I would like to write an academic dissertation on Chinese painting and maybe on Chinese painting +Chinese Calligraphy.

I would really like to become an expert on some painting skills and topics in some field of Chinese art at the first, then to discuss something else.

-- Until July 15, I have found and paid a new engineer as my technology supporter since my former technology supporter cannot / would not do it for his immigration. The technology job which has been stopped for about 5 months has been re-moved forward. I do hope all of the jobs relate to the publication will be finished in August.

-- Until July 23, today, I have been a student of one of the best English Schools of China for 2 weeks already. No matter how late I go to sleep, I would certainly be in the English classroom online at 7:00am, until 9:00am, I have usually had at least two lessons on English, music (practice my voice )or painting, then to start the daily art study...

It was a quite hard and really good time for 16 days. I am sure, I have gone over the most difficult time after coming back to Beijing. And I am doing everything for making my cross-cultural and comprehensive art dream to be true...

The road will be winding and the future will be bright, do you think so?

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

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, you are welcome to write to shirley@ebridge.com.cn or leave your message on Message Board.

Sincerely,

Shirley Yiping Zhang
July 23, 2017 (Beijing Time)