¡¡ Introduction
¡¡ Greeting List
¡¡     2024
¡¡     2023
¡¡     2022
¡¡     2021
¡¡     2020
¡¡     2019
¡¡     2018
¡¡     2017
¡¡     2016
¡¡     2015
¡¡     2014
¡¡     2013
¡¡     2012
¡¡     2011
¡¡     2010
¡¡     2009
¡¡     2008
¡¡     2007
¡¡     2006
¡¡     2005
 

Book's Sweet Smell -- Shirley's 108th Friendly Greeting -- Sun, Oct 7, 2007

Hi,Dear Friends

How are you? I do hope that you are well and have an easy and relaxed weekend.

After adjusting the Art Column and created a new Combined Art, part in June. I adjusted the Music Column and created a new Bilingual Songs, part in August. Then I would like to adjust the Chinese Learning part in my National Day’s Holiday. To make the Art of Painting, Music and Chinese Learning become the main parts of Shirley's World. To make painting, music and Chinese culture to be some helpful tools and background of the Chinese Learning. So instead of traveling, I stayed at home to work on the the web reform, as a good rest in my holiday.

After reading online some documents from the Ministry of Education of China, I made sure the general requests or standard of Chinese as the second language. Then I went to buy some reference books for my web reforming.

It was Oct 3, there were few cars in the streets and only 2 ones in the former crowded park. However, when I walked near the Shenzhen Book City, I felt a strong book reading breath, because many people were around in the 27 or 28 floor's building. Instead of going into the art book store, as usual on the first floor or going on the moving staircase, I went upstairs, for I did not know which floor I should go to find my books for helping foreigners to learn Chinese.

I was touched as soon as I went up the stairs. Almost every stair, there are some children sitting on it. Every one was reading something carefully and quietly. Every floor there were many people reading or choosing books and some of them were sitting on the floor with one or several books and a bottle of water.

In the foreign language book stores, I found the books I needed and I also found a huge change soon. There are many foreign language books there, in English, in Japanese, in French, in Russian and in Spanish. There are so many reference books and learning tools, tapes, CD's, VCD's, DVD's and so on. I did feel that I would not need to carry many books from Hong Kong, as I did before.

An interesting thing is that, if you want to find a book in Italian, you'd better go to the music book store.

I worked there for about 3 hours and I chose 14 books, then I pushed my pushcart to pay. There, I was touched once more. An old lady who is over 60 years old, wore in a red waistcoat of volunteer, was helping the clerks to put customers's books into the packs busily. When I was smiling to her while saw her snow white hair, when I thought the children on the upstairs, my eyes were wet by the touched in my heart.

The book's sweet smell is gathering us together. The book's sweet smell is improving the culture level of our people.The book's sweet smell is helping our nation to be developed quickly.

I love the book's sweet smell. I have felt the hope in the books!

Do you agree with me? Do you love book and its sweet smell?

Shirley Created Art -- Chinese Xieyi 0156: Fat Crabs
For Chinese painting students, orchid and crabs are something we must learn. So my teacher taught me to paint them in my art lesson Saturday evening. I did feel that the crabs are easier for me, because I have eaten many of them and I do have a feeling on it. Then the orchid is more difficult for me, so that I did not make sure how to paint it. So, I would like to observe it more and do more practice on it. I was given 85 marks and my teacher thought my crabs lacked changing and my orchids lacked skills. How do you think of it? Do you like it?

Bilingual Song--011: Shirley Sings A Chinese Folk Song--0029 "Wang Ning Mei" -- Frowning In Vain in English & Chinese
A woman's friend sad "love" via Internet made me think of a poem. That expresses a love was just like the flower in the mirror and the moon in the water, from the most famous Chinese classical novel Hong Lou Meng -- A Dream of Red Mansions by Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) writer Cao Xueqin (Ts'ao Hsueh-ch'in). So I have translated it into English and sang it in both of Chinese and English. I do hope they will be a little bit help to you to know Chinese culture and to improve your Chinese listening level.

Chinese Classical Poem 0098 -- 0043(By Liu Yuxi) & Shirley Created Music-0081-06: Ting Zhu -- Bamboo.
The more things I have learned, the more shortages that I have realized in my art and music working. When I wanted to create a new picture for this poem, I heard the music and my singing, that I did one year ago. I felt shamed that the quality was too bad. So even though time was 9:00 pm, I re-wrote the music and re-sang it. I was a little bit tired after working for about 10 hours already, I was not satisfied with my work yet. So I will try to improve it and to create a new picture for the poem later. I just hope my effort will be a little bit help to you to learn Chinese culture and Chinese language...
Learning Chinese With Me Together
After working on the Chinese Learning Column for almost whole of National Day Holiday, I have reformed it to be 8 son columns. I would like to be with you to learn Chinese poems, oral Chinese, modern Chinese lyrics via my paintings, music, calligraphy and Chinese cultures. The emphasis is to improve your aural comprehension and oral Chinese ability. Also, I would like to offer the Chinese pronunciation (pinyin) learning, Characters writing, Vocabulary remembering and Grammar columns soon. Could you please tell me your wishes on Chinese learning?

Have You Learned Chinese Pronunciation Via Pinyin?
Along with the opening and development of China, more and more friends from the other cultures would like to learn Chinese language and come to Shirley's World via Google searching. Shirley's World has been listed on No.1 by google.cn and listed on No.7 by google.com for over 1 month already.For helping you to learn Chinese pronunciation via some helpful tools, I would like to open a new column to help you to learn Chinese pronunciation via Chinese Pinyin soon. Do you enjoy this idea? What is your wishes and opinions on it?

I am just a learner on that art of painting, music, calligraphy, languages and to work on the web site in my free time. I would really like to do a little bit things with what I have learned to make this little web site to be An Electronic Bridge Of Culture Exchange, Friendship and Language Learning. To help the others while to improve myself.

I appreciate your understanding, directions and supports. I do hope to get your friendly help...

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please write to shirley@ebridge.cn or shirleyz004@yahoo.com. You are welcomed to publish your opinions in the forum.

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Written and Edited on Sun, October 7, 2007

In the Past 3 Months -- Shirley's 593rd Friendly Greeting - May 6, 2019
Happy Chinese New Year! -- Shirley's 592nd Friendly Greeting - Feb 5, 2019
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! -- Shirley's 591st Friendly Greeting - Dec 25, 2018
The Road Is Long, Far & Winding, Still I Am Seeking My Dream -- Shirley's 590th Friendly Greeting - Dec 11, 2018
Take Opportunity - Shirley's 589th Friendly Greeting - Nov 11, 2018
More...