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 It seems like God had arranged five aspects of education as a necessary preparation for my last career in the rest of my life -- to create and found a “Cross-cultural and Integrated Art”—which began very early so that I didn’t realize it until nowadays.
1. Bilingual Languages:
-- On Chinese Language: I majored in Chinese language and literature for five years and obtained a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from Qiqihar University. Then I taught "College Chinese" for seven years and became a Chinese instructor.
-- On English Language: I have been learning English since I was an undergraduate, and since 2015, I have attended an English course at Ozarks Technical Community College whenever I have been in the U.S.
As a Bilingual Practice: Since 2000, I designed and organized a group of young Americans who were native English speakers from Oregon State University (USA) and two young scholars from Hong Kong City University to create and record a book series titled "Together with Me, Learn True American"; I myself translated them into Chinese; Jinan University Press published the series with four books and four CDs in October 2002.
I have been translating ancient Chinese poems into English, composing music, and creating pictures to match their meanings since 2003, solely based on bilingual language education.
2. World Economics:
I have attended two World Economics courses. One occurred when I was a Chinese instructor, the other during my work as a manager in the Chinese securities information industry. In the third year after becoming a department manager in a newspaper office, I chose the Institute of World Economics at Fudan University and became the only student who commuted by airplane to attend classes every weekend, holiday, and almost all of my free time for three years, from 1996 to 1999.
Here is one day as an example during my studies at Fudan University:
I caught the first flight from Shenzhen Airport and took part in an examination at Fudan University in Shanghai in the morning; then I flew to Beijing in the afternoon and worked with a group of editors and engineers at the office of People’s Daily Online, since our newspaper, Securities Times, is a branch of it, and I was the main founder of its web site and was in charge of its establishment and operation under the leadership of People’s Daily Online and their experts from America and Australia since 1997. Then I flew back to Shenzhen the next early morning on the first flight from Beijing. Just in April 1997, I flew to Beijing four times.
This kind of study in World Economics helped me build a global perspective.
3.Journalism:
I studied some Journalism classes for a short time at the Teaching Centre of the South China University of Technology in 1999, but I have worked in the mass media field for a long time. For example: a column editor for three years, a newspaper editor for eight years, an executive chief editor of a series of books for nine years, and a founder and executive chief editor of several websites for twenty-eight years, as well as working on mobile digital data products and TV, etc.
4. Business:
Since 2000, I attended a "Doctoral Administration Course" in all of my free time and obtained a Doctoral Degree of Business Administration (DBA) from Western Kennedy University (USA) in 2003, based on the study at its Teaching Centre in the Shenzhen Personnel Bureau—which was jointly established by this American university, South China Normal University, and the Shenzhen Government ( about 100 managers in Shenzhen attended the program, 22 of them for doctoral degrees, the others for master's degrees).
Unfortunately, these degrees were not recognized by the Chinese Ministry of Education, but only by Shenzhen City. This then became one of the reasons that I went to the USA and obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from Missouri State University in 2009, which was recognized by the Chinese Ministry of Education.
While I worked in the business field in Shenzhen, I mainly designed and led a team in creating a Chinese Securities Market Data Statistics Framework with six series of forms and charts, and published them through more than 6,000 pages in newspapers, two book series with 12 books, and two papers; as well as organized the development of several important innovative products and web systems, and received many honors. Here are some of them:
— 2005: The Financial Information Innovation Award was presented by Shenzhen City, China.
— 2000: First Prize in the Chinese Securities Research Paper Competition was awarded by Xinhua News Agency, China.
— 1997: Member of the delegation that attended the 31st World Chinese Newspaper Annual Convention and was received by the Prime Minister of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.
4.Arts:
I learned the arts of gouache, oil painting, and music in my teenage years but stopped for a long time for some reasons.
In November, 2002, my elder brother passed away at the age of 48, and it inspired me to retake my paintbrush and re-study music and art with five private teachers for twelve years and eight years respectively. However, I didn’t want to stay in an art college before retiring from my career in the securities industry, but rather to realize a childhood dream; art for me at that time was merely something enjoyable and relaxing.
In September 2009, my first international comprehensive/integrated art exhibition was held in the US, and it gave me a chance to reflect on the social responsibility of art and artists and launched my “Cross-cultural and Comprehensive/Integrated Art” journey. Since then, art has not only been something I enjoy personally, but has also carried certain duties or functions, standing with me to help more people.
Then in December 2009, my mother passed away, and it led me into a long-term illness, a series of surgeries, and an extended leave of absence from work, giving me another chance to initially go to an art college, but at that time, I never thought that the study process could be extended for 13 years in Beijing, or that I could earn my second master's degree—Master of Fine Arts—from the highest Chinese art research organization, the Chinese National Academy of Arts:
-- September 2010 to July 2011: I began studying Chinese painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
-- October 2011 to July 2025: I majored in Chinese Flower-and-Bird Painting through four graduate course programs at the Chinese National Academy of Arts.
-- September 2016 to July 2021: I specialized in Chinese landscape painting and theory under my supervisor Professor Mu Jiashan, and obtained a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the Chinese National Academy of Arts in July 2021.
-- September 2021 to August 2024: I majored in Chinese Gongbi Painting at the Modern Chinese Gongbi Painting Academy.
While studying in Beijing from 2010 to 2024, my publication series—consisting of two books, two DVDs, two e-books, and two closed online courses—titled “Poetry, Painting, Music: Comprehensive/Integrated and Artistic Chinese – Learn Chinese Culture and Language by Enjoying and Practicing Painting, Music and Poetry” (I & II), was published in May 2013 and 2018 respectively ; another five Cross-cultural and Comprehensive/Integrated Art Exhibitions were held in the USA; while I taught several thousand American students across about 40 organizations, including universities, colleges, K-12 schools, art organizations, and churches in the US, as well as an international Chinese college and an art training class in Beijing.
Summery:
-- Studying in Chinese language and literature and English in both of Qiqihar University and Ozarks Technique Community College in the US laid a bilingual language foundation to seek my Cross-cultural and Integrated Art dream.
-- Studying World Economics in two academies included Fudan University in Shanghai gave me a global sight.
-- Studying Jourelism at South China Technology University in its Shenzhen Teaching Base helped me improve my news sensitivity.
-- Studying business Administration in two American universities opened my eyes and to think, research, explore and create a unique Cross-cultural and Comprehensive Art and its target markets and users, and business strategy etc.
-- Learning music and painting from three Chinese private teachers, two private art teachers from China and the US helped me re-went back art road and laid the foundation for my first Comprehensive art exhibition in Poetry, Music and Painting.
-- Studying Chinese Art in both best Chinese Colleges, the highest Chinese art collage -- China Central Academy of Fine Arts and the highest art research organization -- Chinese National Academy of Arts helped me become a professional artist from a amateur.
Until my 12th American trip (December 2024 to March 2025), my Cross-cultural and Comprehensive/Integrated Art had formed its unique content system and business prototype, and since May 2025, it has begun to expand from the US to Australia.
So today, when I recall the path of study in the past, a strong feeling arises: if it were not for these educational experiences, there would be no current “E-bridge Cross-cultural and Comprehensive/Integrated Art” or its practice. Really, I appreciate God for having arranged my educational journey and for continuously guiding me in my study and practice. I am deeply grateful to all the professors,
instructors, and teachers for their guidance and teaching. I truly cherish what I have learned and what you have provided, and I will strive to give back to God and to all of you by working harder with a grateful heart.
What about you? What is your educational background? Do you still remember your professors and teachers?
 If you have any questions, comments, or advice, you are welcome to write to me via info@ebridge.cn or shirley@ebridge.cn, and I will be very delighted to read them and respond to you with a big smile.
Sincerely,
Shirley Yiping Zhang
Jan 15, 2026
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