How are you? As a mother, I am happy for I have gotten a phone call from my son from Australia. While I wish all of the mothers in the world have a Happy Mother's Day!

May 10 to now, 2013, are really some special days for me in USA.

Sponsored and organized by City of Pikeville, the Eastern Kentucky Expo Center and the Artisan Alliance of Pikeville & Pike County, my 4th cross-culture and comprehensive event : A Taste of China ( includes an art exhibition at the Eastern Kentucky Expo Center and a series free classes at Hampton Inn and 4 publish schools) started in Pikeville, KY, USA, May 10, 2013, and it has created many special results until now:

-- First time, my cross-culture and comprehensive art exchange event has gotten a government ( City of Pikeville, Kentucky) and many organizations’ help and support, they are:

City of Pikeville, Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center, Kentucky
the Artisan Alliance of Pikeville City
Hampton Inn, Kentucky
East Kentucky Broadcasting
Appalachian News – Express
A local television station
A local Chinese restaurant
4 local schools

-- The first time, I had a Chinese - American sponsor before I reached here: Mr. Andy Liu and his wife offered the financial support for the promotion jobs of my Event – A Taste of China in Pikeville, Kentucky, USA.

-- The first time, I had an opportunity to express my grateful heart to the local government, originations and friendly American people via 4 channels of the local broadcasting station-- Eastern Kentucky Broadcasting Station and a local TV station.

--The first time, I have sung my poetry songs with my own created music for Chinese classical poems and paintings for so many American people directly in both of English and Chinese via the radio station.

-- The first time, I have read a report about my own cross-culture and comprehensive art in an American newspaper - Appalachian News – Express, May 11, 2013.

-- The first time, I met a couple of American wife and husband who are interested in my art works so much that they stayed in my art exhibition for 3 hours. The lady artist Mrs.Garlene Layne-Abshire who is the art teacher of NorthPoint Academy, she has not only bachelor and master degrees of art, but also a national qualification on art, talked with me for a long time, with strong interesting, she asked me to sing the lyric song that I made the music for Chairman Mao Zedong’s lyric Ode to the Plum Blossom twice, then she decided to buy it that was my first big size painting that I created for Chinese classical poem. With a grateful heart, I have gotten the precious actual support on my comprehensive art dream. Because, they said, they bought this painting, for they admired the author of the art works – Shirley Yiping Zhang.

-- The first time, 5 of my paintings were bought by the local American friends in the first 10 hours;

At the same time, as a full time Chinese art student who is from Chinese National Academy of Arts, I myself also has tasted some special taste in America, I do have felt:

-- Sometimes, Americans and Chinese have a totally different taste on color's enjoyment, it seems like Americans enjoy bright color much more than Chinese. Do you know? According to the comments of my tutors in Beijing, I did not bring the paintings with bright colors to USA, just carried 3 of them as a test. And I did not also want to show them at the art exhibition, just because I found there was a space when we had near finished the working of hanging up the last paintings, then I made them on the last line in a corner.

Then some surprised things happened -- when I just opened the three paintings, includes the painting on Ode to the Plum Blossom, the 3 young clerks who helped me to hang the paintings had "Wow! ". All of them said that the painting of blum blossom was their favorite. Then, next day, almost all American friends who saw it, said that was their favourite, then, within the first 5 hours, the blum blossom painting was bought away, and now, when I came back from the 4th phase (each phase 2 or 3 hours) of the art exhibition and to correct this letter to you, another bright red flower painting and a little birdhad been bought away.

-- The local American media people's working state is quite different from Chinese, it seems like they are working with freedom much more than we do in China. By the good influence of them, when I was working on the 3rd and 4th recording alively, I could also be able to speak with a big smile by the microphone.

-- The local American officials were working with quite tight schedule but very high efficiency, here were what I had seen when I was working with Mrs. Leigh Ann Hughes who is the Grant Administrator, City of Pikeville, the director of the Pikeville Artisan Alliance of Pikeville City and her colleagues in the other departments on May 10, 2013:

At 7:30 am, she came into my room at the hotel.
At 8:00 am, she sent her kids to their school.
At 8:40am, we completed 4 recorded with 4 groups of
announcers, went out of the radio station.
At 9:20 am, we went into the hall of the Eastern Kentucky of Expo Center, the tile of the event and my name had been rolling on the screen.
At 10:00am, we went to the official building of City of Pikeville to take some data.
At 11:30am, before the exhibition was started, the tables with ice, coffee, tea, drinks, cakes, fruit and flowers on it, has been by the gate of the exhibition hall.
At 5:00pm, when the second phase of the exhibition started, 2 girls stood by the gate to look after
the order until evening.
At 7:40pm, 3 paintings have been sold.
At 9:00pm, she sent me back the hotel.
The she drove for another 15 minutes to go back home.

-- As an art student, I have also felt the first complex taste when I saw my art works leaving from me. One hand, I was happy for they could go to the other places to please more people in the far away America, the other hand, I had a little bit sadness as like I had sent my own lovely babies going out of my arms. :- ) Therefore, instead of selling any painting that relates to my vocal, bilingual, poetry and painting series as a part of my comprehensive art, I would like to send or donate them to some the best and the most suitable cooperators in America and in Australia, to found some comprehensive art laboratories, studios or galleries, to help non-Chinese speakers to learn Chinese culture and language. Wish them become some little bridges between Chinese and Western cultures and the friendly emissaries between Western people and Chinese people.

Before I finish this letter to you, I would also like to share a wonderful and special taste with you: Since I went into the City of Pikeville, Kentucky, USA until now, I have really found, except my sponsors Mr. Andy Lin and his wife, I am the only Chinese here. However, my feeling is that I am working among friends, instead of being in a foreign country at all.

With a grateful heart, I would really like to send my endless appreciations to the friendly American people and the local government and organization of City of Pikeville. I will also do my best in the following work, mainly the free classes on Chinese culture and language…

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

The Notes of the photos:

No 1: The 4th group of the announcers and I in their radio station - May 10, 2013

No 2: From left to right: me, Mrs. Booth, Dr. Booth and Mrs. Leigh Ann Hughes in Lexington.

No.3: Mrs. Leigh Ann Hughes was working in the radio station

No.4: Mrs. Leigh Ann Hughes and Mr. Steve St. John in Mr. Steve St.John's office

No.5: Two announcers and Mrs. Leigh Ann Hughes

No.6: Mrs. Cindy Johnson started to work on my event

No.7: A local newspaper reporter Ms. Elizabeth Thompson and I

No.8: Mrs. Steve St. John and I

No.9: A local newspaper reported my event in USA

No.10: Mrs. Garlene Layne-Abshire and her husband would like to support me by buying this painting

No.11: They enjoyed this painting

No.12: A happy family came to my art exhibition

No.13: Mr.Frank Dawahare who is the President of Artisan Alliance of Pickville City enjoyed this painting

No.14: My Chinese sponsor - Andy Liu and His Wife

I am just a full time art student at Chinese National Academy of Arts, a lifetime 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 Exchange, Chinese Culture and 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
May 12, 2013(American Time)