OELP Daily reflection---Day 1 to Day 7 (Geraldine)

DAY 1

It was officially the start of the whole OELP trip.We went to Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) which was a project done together by Singapore and China.From its name,I had initially thought that the SIP was literally a park.However,after the tour,I realized that it was actually a huge part of Suzhou--the more developed part of Suzhou.It was created under the guidance of Singapore so that China learns more from Singapore to develop its country.Hence,The SIP looks like a duplication of Singapore as the way it was built was according to Singapore's style.The exhibitions we went through showed distinct and great changes that Suzhou had gone through from the past till now.From an old town with many traditional ways and infrastructure, this part of Suzhou has transformed into a modern,developed and advanced place,showing that this project was indeed a great success as part of Suzhou has successfully been modernized.I felt very proud of Singapore to have helped Suzhou in this successful development and also felt happy and impressed of Suzhou to have achieved its goal so successfully.At the same time,I realized that China is really developing fast,just as what I so frequently heard from everyone nowadays.I believe that if Singapore does not continue to improve itself, China will be catching up with us soon.Though Singapore had been really really good,it still has to keep improving itself for the better for the whole world is developing and improving and catching up with one another.Perhaps very soon,what has been achieved by the developed countries like Singapore will be just something normal and no longer anything great or special.Hence,Singapore,though already a developed country must continue to strive for the "even better" category.

Later on,we also went to 苏州交通大学附属中学 where we received gifts and warmed welcomes from the teachers and students.I realized that the students' artwork were very splendid and well done,something most of us could not have done,making me feel that China's students really take a lot of pride and passion in art as they are able to produce very beautiful works for that subject.Whereas for Singapore students,most of us do not take aesthetics like art seriously and in fact do not really have a passion for it.An example is me :p.

Anyway,half of our class went to attend art lessons while the other half went to learn 太极拳,which was what I learned.It was quite interesting to be able to learn a new "sport" and I realized that there were many similarities in 太极拳 compared to 武术,which is what we learn back in RV.

After that,the whole class went to attend a Chinese lesson where the teacher talked so complicated Chinese stuff that most of us were confused.The students over there learned about Chinese poems, understanding the meaning behind them,something much harder than what we do here in Singapore.Overall,from the Chinese lesson,I could clearly tell that their Chinese standards are far better than ours and I realized that we have got to strive harder even if we do well for Chinese here in Singapore because the real Chinese competitors are out there in China.As for people who already don't do well for Chinese in Singapore (like me)... I believe we really got to work harder and constantly remind ourselves the Chinese standards those China students are at.

DAY 2

Today,we went for a school immersion trip at 星海实验中学.We were all really nervous when we were about to be separated and be assigned to different classes. Shu Ting and I were assigned to a class and we headed for the 2 empty seats at the back.It felt really awkward for I felt that I were an outsider who did not belong here and neither the students nor the teachers bother to welcome us warmly for our trip here.I really had hoped that someone would approach and talk to me and make me feel more comfortable and welcomed,but no one did.I,for once,finally understood how those foreign pupils who came to our school for immersion trips had felt.

The class uses a chalkboard for lessons,which surprised me for chalkboards,as far as I know,is a teaching tool in the past.There were also no visualizers but only a projector that nevertheless was still seldom used.I realized that China was really behind us in terms of education ways and facilities for they seldom make use of modern technologies like the projector and are still using past teaching tools like the blackboard.It made me feel really impressed and proud of Singapore as I noticed that we have progressed really far as compared to other countries and we even have things like iPads to assist our learning.The toilets in the school,or rather almost everywhere I had gone including the school,really stinks.This made me feel that China is neglecting the minor aspects of its country too much.While its economy is boosting and catching up with top countries like the US,it's educational facilities are lagging far behind us and their toilets are remaining unhygienic and much to us,foreigners', dissatisfaction.I believed China should really start to shift their focus from the major aspects of the country to those minor ones like education and hygiene because every single aspect matters.A minor aspect like hygiene could affect our impression on China.Before coming to China,I had really admire the country for developing so fast and catching up with the developed countries.But after seeing what educational facilities they have and the hygiene in their toilets,I changed my opinion about China--that it does not seem as perfect as it seemed,that somewhere behind those brilliant economy and other successful major developments,there are ugly sights of poor hygiene and outdated educational facilities that are hidden behind,concealed unknowingly by the outside world.

The students there were absolutely attentive during lessons.None of them talked to others during their lessons and neither do they sleep or daydream or do anything unrelated during the lessons.It made me feel really ashamed of myself for occasionally,I would find myself nodding off to sleep or talking to friends when I'm bored during my lessons.I was really impressed by their excellent behaviour,which I believe is something I should learn from them.

After the school immersion,we went to Humble Administrator's Garden,a world heritage centre in Suzhou.The view before me when I stepped into the garden was really brilliant.All around me was simply nature that I have always taken for granted and it was only then did I realized how beautiful nature is.There were many green trees and plants(green since it was summer) and lakes full of lily pads.Many ancient pagodas and bridges were also present,making me feel as if I were back in ancient China.I learnt that Chinese in China were very superstitious as curved pathways built in the Garden were believed to drive ghosts away from us at night for the Chinese believed that ghosts can not travel in crooked or curved pathways.It was a really meaningful trip where I not only get to admire and explore the beauty of nature and ancient Chinese infrastructures but also get to learn more about the Chinese culture.

After that,we went for dinner at Haidilao!And trust me that place was totally awesome.The food there tasted like heaven,absolutely much to my satisfactory.The staff there were really very friendly to us,helping us cover our bags with cloth to prevent the smell of the steamboat to get into them.Even the service at the toilets were great for there were even people there to on the tap for us to wash our hands and provide us with paper towels as well as skin moisturizers!Their excellent service really impressed me for I couldn't believe tha service was even provided at the toilets! It was a really amazing experience there--to enjoy good food and great services!

DAY 3

Today,we went to 星海实验中学 once more,and for the last time.This time,I got to attend more lessons--Chinese,Mathematics,English and Music.All lessons except for English were taught in the Chinese language which made understanding these lessons a hundred times harder.It really came as a relief to me when English lesson came for their English was really simple and I had no problem understanding the lesson at all.It made me relieved about the fact that our Chinese was weaker than them for their English were also much weaker than ours.My partner had showed me his test paper where,I realized, that they were being tested on really simple things we have done in primary school while we,at the same age,are doing far more advanced components.It seemed that both the students there and us do have subjects that we have to improve on to catch up with one another.

We also got to communicate with buddies appointed to us later on.Though our buddies were people Shu Ting and I had never talked to,we still managed to converse with each other,though quite nervously.The gift I received from my buddy was something I really appreciated and liked--a silk cloth,and it is something I would never forget as a reminder of the trip to this school.

After our buddies left,we stayed in a room and a teacher taught us "吹画",a Chinese art where you put drops of ink onto your paper and blow the ink.The ink will then spread around the paper,and we were to try to make it to form a figure of a tree.It really was a very interesting form of art,and I was really impressed that the Chinese in China were able to think of such a creative way to form art.Soon,we left the school for the No.1 Silk Factory in Suzhou.I felt a sense of unwillingness and sadness in me.I was sure to miss the school.

In the silk factory,the tour guide taught us more about the life cycle of a silkworm,the different stages etc.Then we moved on to witness numerous real silkworms in a bamboo basket,some crawling slowly,some eating the leaves around them.Having no fear for insects,I went forward to touch one,expecting to feel a hard shell. However,I was surprised to feel a really soft and flexible texture that appears to be very delicate.It was a really cool experience for me to be able to touch a silkworm which I hadn't even seen before till today.

We also witness how the silk is retrieved from the silkworms.Their silk was really really thin and it was a wonder to me how could this thin,delicate-looking silk be made into products?However,when I touched the silk,I was surprised once again for the silk was not as soft as it seemed,it was,in fact,quite hard and even seem to be quite strong.We moved on to look at the products which was made from the silk produced here.I was really surprised that things like bed sheets,pillows,blankets etc was actually made from these thin pieces of silk!I was really impressed of these silkworms--how useful its thin silk could be to make so many different products (eg purses).

Overall,today has been really memorable--so many new experiences and so many new things learnt!;D

DAY 4 

Today we went to Suzhou Museum.Its architecture design was very unique and many historical artifacts were displayed and shown to us--fans,paintings,jades,past embroidery and many many more!We were able to learn more about the culture and history of China's past,all the way back to the dynasties period. Surprisingly,there were a lot of people in the museum, which astonished me as I didn't expect so many people to visit a museum, which to me is just a place full of boring information about the past which, guilty here, I feel is something not very important to me presently. It made me wonder a lot, is it because this museum s new? Or is it because the people of China are really very interested to see and understand more of their past culture? It is a question that up till today I still do not have an answer.

 

We went to Shantang street after that. Shantang street was a traditional, ancient-looking old street. It consisted of two street path connected by a traditional-looking bridge and even a river in between the two roads.It was a really really crowded street and my group was careful to keep close to prevent getting lost.The street sold many different kinds of things, from foods to key chains, toys, decorative products and many more! I would admit that it was not a place I enjoyed shopping at for it was too crowded and not many things were "relevant" for me to buy. Furthermore,there was a weird smell around the atmosphere which I believed came from some "weird" foods sold at the stalls. Nevertheless, it was a really cool experience for me to be able to shop and walk along a traditional street something really different from the shopping malls I usually go to in Singapore.

Overall, really glad to have explore more of China's history and culture as well as to experience a trip to Shantang street! :))

DAY 5

It was already Day 5 and a sense of sadness reached me when I woke up for there were only 2 days left--2 days before this whole trip ends.Time really flies... TT

Anyway, we were in Shanghai now and our first destination was the Shanghai Jiaotong University to attend a "lecture" about Shanghai's development from past till now.

I was really surprised when we reached the university for it was really really huge-- so huge that there were even zebra crossings along the roads in the university.The plants and trees lined everywhere made me feel that this place seemed more like a neighborhood than a university for it really was huge!

During the lecture, we learnt more about Shanghai's past, the city's culture in the past as well as its current culture. I was quite surprised to learn that Shanghai has the largest population of all the cities in China as I had thought that majority will come from the well-known capital city-- Beijing. It also came as a shock to me that Shanghai has the most severe air population for I couldn't believe that I was now standing right at the very city,breathing in the air that has the largest amounts of air pollution in China! ><

   [Lecture--power point slides]

After that, we proceeded to the Shanghai Urban Exhibition Hall which showed us all about Shanghai's development, its transport system, how it has transformed from a trading port to a tourist attraction etc. It was a really meaningful trip where we got to learn more about Shanghai in addition to the lecture we had earlier on.The sculptures displayed were also very beautiful just like the one right below here 👇

 

As it was raining cats and dogs, the trips to Xintiandi Shikumen Museum was postponed and we proceeded to the hotel after that. I was really excited because after that, we will be going for an acrobatic show soon!

The anticipated time finally arrived as at around 6 or 7 pm, we proceeded to watch the acrobatic show. I felt really anxious and elated for it was my very first time watching an acrobatic show! Having seen all those advertisements on the television for a lifetime of acrobats doing highly dangerous-looking and seemingly-impossible stunts, I was really keen to want to witness everything with my very own eyes. It was really a pity that we could not take any pictures or videos of it... TT

The show began with ultimately flexible people doing their impossible-looking stunts...An acrobat balanced on a plank placed on a cylindrical tin, throwing cutlery from his leg onto his head as he balanced on the plank...A tough-looking man threw this huge and delicate-looking pot and make it land on his head, arms, neck and I wanted to shout at him to stop, afraid that he might fail and crack his skull but everything miraculously went on fine...Two gang of people jumped through hoops with a leap, with a somersault, with a dive and I believed that even I of a smaller size than them wouldn't have jump through those hoops! And then came performers jumping on gigantic trampolines, doing their splits, somersaults and many many more in mid-air...and there was a couple flying in the air with only two long pieces of fabric keeping them from falling onto the ground...and there were motorcycles--two, three, four, five...seven of them driving at hugh speed in one huge metal circular cage without colliding with one another...Each and every performance was certainly entertaining and though I was feeling really tired after a whole day of trips, the acrobatic show never failed to keep my eyes opening, keep my mouth gaping, keep my excitement running on. It was the best thing I have ever watched in my whole life.

The day should have ended perfectly with such an awesome show but the smell of the gas from the motorcycle seemed to make me feel nauseous (-- I had not been feeling well from that very day on till OELP was over.)But I did not forget about the acrobatic show, and never will I. :))

Brilliant day!!!!!!

DAY 6

Today, we went to Luxun Memorial Hall. The memorial hall was really huge,causing me to admire China greatly for being able to build an enormous memorial hall just to remind people of Luxun, the Father of modern Chinese Literature and the his history. Back in Singapore, I remember there was a memorial built for Lim Bo Sheng, our country's savior, but he was not dedicated one whole building unlike what China did for Luxun. It seemed that China really make good use of the abundant land they have to not only develop further but also to preserve much of its culture and history. 

In Luxun memorial hall, we learnt more about Luxun's past, why he write his books, how did his works influenced the Chinese etc. It was a meaningful trip as other than learning China's history and culture as we had done in the past few days,we were now able to learn about one of the famous people in China's past who had contributed to the Chinese society.There was even a figure of Luxun "created" by some plants--It was a really beautiful sight and this made me feel that China really care about their past history and culture for they are willing to spend so much effort on Luxun's memorial--build a memorial hall for him and even trim plants to make a figure of him.

 

 [the figure I was talking about]

Later on, we moved on to Oriental Pearl's TV Tower. While we were waiting to get through the ticket barrier,many Chinese cut our queue as they wanted to get in first. Our tour guide seemed very annoyed with them, so did I. How could they just cut our queue like that? We came here first, didn't we? But I was soon struck by the realization that Singaporeans do that too. In certain situations, I occasionally witness 1 or 2 people trying to cut queue... Well at least back in Singapore, we do not have 20+ people cutting a queue at once... -_-

Anyway,The tower was super-duper tall!!! We went to take the elevator which reached the 600+ storey within (I think) less than 2 minutes. Cool, isn't it? It would have taken me forever to climb to that storey... .__.

Anyway, we then proceeded to the 500 something storey (can't remember which storey in exact) where we could actually step onto a glass floor to look out to the scenery of Shanghai! It was really cool yet scary for I feared that the glass was delicate. But in the end, I still ended up walking on the glass as if it was a normal ground. It was really awesome to stand up so high with only a piece of TRANSPARENT GLASS separating me from the ground and also to be able to look at the cars and buildings way below at such a great distance that they seemed to be in a mini world far far away. It was certainly a very exciting and thrilling experience for me! XD

 

We went to the last place after that-- Nanjing Road. It looked a lot like the China's version of Orchard Road--two lines of shopping malls, super-duper crowded, modern-looking. It was definitely a great place for tourist to shop (since the place itself already looked like an ideal place for tourists to shop) for there were many international products, China products, as well as products from Shanghai itself being sold.To be honest, my friends and I did not buy a lot of things from there as not many things were suitable for us to buy. We bought some food though, much to my relief, for I had not wanted to come to Nanjing Road and return with empty hands... it just doesn't seem right. :/

Overall, today has been awesome! Really great to be able to learn about some history, visit a 600 storey tall tower and shop-- all in one day! :D

DAY 7 [ LAST DAY TT ]

Today was the last day of the whole OELP trip.I felt a sense of dread for I didn't want this trip to end...

We proceeded to the Commemoration Exhibition of Expo in 2010 Shanghai.I didn't learn a lot from there because I was not feeling well and spent the whole time there sitting at the side with Si Qi to rest. I got to glimpse part of the exhibition where there are walls of information as well as many images and sculptures displayed in glass cases. It was sad to have gotten sick at this time for I believed I would have learnt a lot of things from there... :(

We went to Xintiandi Shikumen Museum after that--the postponed trip. At first,I had totally no idea what this whole museum would be about. Another boring one full of information regarding Shanghai's history? It came as a great surprise and relief to me that the Shikumen museum is not a place full of information about hsitory or culture but a place that displays a Shikumen housing...Yes.Shikumen is a type of housing in the past.I learnt that it was built for the rich to evade World War II and that its design was a mixture of ancient Chinese and European style.The rooms were all very traditional-looking and ancient and it felt as if I had gone back to the past.The cupboards, the mirrors, the beds, the windows...everything surprised and impressed me for I had seriously gotten bored of the common HDB flats back in Singapore and found this totally different type of housing really interesting! I really am impressed of how China preserved its culture and history as the Shikumen Museum was built in a very realistic way where people can even feel themselves in the past and are hence able to understand its culture very effectively.Really glad to have visited this place!

We proceeded to the Bund after this. It was a magnificent sight to see the majestic skyscrapers before us,tall and seemingly superior.I believed many of my friends enjoyed the trip there for it was certainly an ideal place to take pictures of.However,I soon found the place quite boring as there wasn't anything much to look at after a while. Furthermore,I am the type that don't really like looking at all these highly developed structures for I have already gotten used to seeing similar things now that the whole world is upgrading itself--this kind of highly developed structures is hence quite common now.I would, to be honest, gladly prefer to look at nature or ancient things of the past like the Shikumen museum for it is not something common in the present and is hence something rare and interesting for me to look about.

After that, we proceeded to Chenghuangmiao where we got to shop for the last time before we fly back to Singapore.It wasn't like Nanjing Road where everything was modern-looking.Neither was it like Shantang Street where everything looked like a street of the past.It was,as a matter of fact,in between both.The place had large temples where inside were actually shopping malls,shops and stalls.It was very very crowded and as the pathways were quite narrow,it was quite difficult to walk fast when numerous people are all around us.However,it was the place where we bought the most number of things for the items sold there were totally suitable for us--bags, purses,key chains,food,hats,necklaces,toys and many many more! I felt that it was the best among the three shopping places we had gone to for I was very satisfied with the things I have brought-- food,Food and FOOD.  XD

After that,it was time to leave for the airport...T.T I felt really sad and dreadful.I can't believe I won't be visiting any more museums, sleep in any more hotels, eat in any more restaurants... I was really reluctant to go.

This whole OELP trip had been really awesome. The numerous activities planned for us,ranging from learning at museums to entertainments like acrobatic shows,were really interesting and pleasant and brilliant.This trip would be the highlight of my life, I would say,for it had allowed me to visit so many places which I had never been and learn so much from China.It had enabled me to experience so many new and amazing things as well as strengthen bonds with my classmates during the fun and laughter we shared.It is an absolutely meaningful trip which I would never forget about! ^^

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Compiled Overall Post - OELP Reflections (Individual)

Year 2 Bicultural Studies OELP to Shanghai & Suzhou OELP

Geraldine Ng Qi Yue (4)

During this learning journey in China, I have gone to many different places where I noticed many things that made me see China’s strengths, weaknesses and also made me take things more for granted in Singapore.

One example is the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) where the facilities and environment of that part of Suzhou is very similar to Singapore -- there were numerous trees lined neatly along the roads just like the green Singapore; high-rise buildings, which is common is Singapore, were also seen. Moreover, the area was also very clean, just like Singapore. From the exhibitions I had went through over there, I have learnt that this project was accomplished together by Singapore and Suzhou where Singapore had shared its knowledge to Suzhou to “teach” them how to develop China further and let it become more modernized. The collaboration of this project has also sustained for twenty years. This successful project that has been going on for so many years had proved that China is progressing and developing well as from a traditional old village in the past, this part of Suzhou has modernized into an advanced and developed area where its environment and facilities are just like Singapore’s, which is known to be a developed country. This project also shows China's ability to keep up with good relations with other countries to be able to work together and learn from Singapore for so many years It is seen that China is capable of developing its own country and build up good relationship with other foreign countries which will sure be beneficial to it. China's great development has made me realize how fast the less developed countries are starting to progress and that Singapore must not look down or underestimate them as they will sooner or later catch up or even surpass us. Singapore, though well-developed, will still have to be more creative and come up with more ideas and make improvements for the country as we cannot just stop at this stage when the other countries are improving and keeping up fast. Overall, from this SIP project, I can see that China has really improved a lot and is developing and learning fast from the other countries.

Another observation I have made in China was during the school immersion when I was in Xinghai experimental high school. I realized that the classrooms' facilities lacked a visualizer, which is what all schools in Singapore have. Also, instead of using a whiteboard, a blackboard, which is the traditional teaching "tool" used in the past, was used in the classrooms instead, unlike Singapore. The diagrams for Math lessons were also drawn on the board instead of being printed out and flashed through the visualizer for students to see. Though there was a projector, it was also seldom used and students mainly did corrections by listening to the teachers who will read the answers or copy them from the blackboard, very different as compared to us where in Singapore, we mostly copied corrections from the screen where the answers and shown through the projectors or visualizers. This shows that China, though progressing, is still less developed than Singapore as its teaching methods and facilities are still traditional and the old ones which schools often used in the past. Whereas for Singapore, most of our teaching styles are based on the developed technology where we depend on the visualizers, projectors etc., instead of the whiteboard. Hence, it seemed that China is still less developed than us and sure has a lot of things to change to keep the country modernized and to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of education facilities. Furthermore, although the school, according to our teachers’ explanation, is a good school where its academic achievements are excellent, the students, unlike the good schools in Singapore, do not have the advantage of having an even more advanced way of learning like educational electronic gadgets for example the iPad, which is what some schools in Singapore uses for learning, including our very own school. I guess that it is perhaps due to the fact that China’s education system is not advanced as Singapore’s yet and therefore, this more advanced way of learning is not yet introduced to China’s schools. This once again emphasizes on the fact that China is not as developed as Singapore and needs to also work on improving its education systems and facilities. This has also made me feel fortunate to be in Singapore as it is only then that I realized how much advantage we have here where our country is well-developed and our systems are well carried out. It is only here in Singapore where our education systems are advanced that I get the chance to be able to study using an iPad, a more advanced way of studying. This whole immersion trip has made me not take Singapore’s well-being for granted.

During the lessons at Xinghai Experimental High School, I noticed that the students there, when having lessons, were very attentive to the teachers. None of the students talked irrelevant topics with one another and either asked their neighboring friends about the teacher’s lesson or paid attention to what the teacher was saying. They had shown great respect to their teachers and presented great self-discipline as they do not need the teachers’ reminders to be quiet during lessons .I was really impressed with them for their great behavior and it made me feel ashamed as back in Singapore, the students often needed reminders to pay full attention during lessons and even with these reminders, there are still students who persist in talking to their friends around them about things that have totally no relation to the lesson topics which often resulted in the teachers scolding the students about discipline during the lessons. Whereas in China, so far, of all the lessons I have gone through, none of this ever happened because the students were very well-disciplined. Even though China may be less developed than Singapore, the people of China seemed to be more “developed” than Singaporeans in the sense that they seem much more mature than us. This had made me determined to pay attention in class and to restrain myself from talking irrelevant topics during lessons. I do not know if the students are just well-disciplined themselves or if the school had taught them about disciplinary but if it’s the latter, I would definitely believe that the way China teaches its students about disciplinary is way better than Singapore’s way of doing so. Perhaps this is really something Singapore should learn from China—to learn how to teach the young students disciplinary effectively as even though it may not be a very major issue on the overall picture, it is still important to educate youngsters about character and disciplinary as this may affect their very own character in the future when it’s their time to take over Singapore and serve and govern the country. Good character is definitely needed in this case .Hence, Singapore should learn from China in terms of disciplinary in schools and overall, I am very impressed with the good behaviors of the China students.

Also, it was through communications with the students did I realize that effective bilingualism is actually very important. Used to speaking English back in Singapore, I had quite a number of difficulties talking with the Chinese students because our Chinese standards are too different. When trying to converse in English, I realized that our English standards also vary quite greatly, which made communication not as simple as we may have thought. I realized that knowing Chinese well would be very important as it will help us to communicate with other foreign Chinese easily and also, now that China is developing a lot, a lot of business and trades in the future would most probably involve China greatly and due to this case, we should learn to communicate with them effectively to be able to carry out business with them well. Perhaps I can start so by talking using the Chinese language more often at home or at school. Also, I realized that the words the Chinese use are very advanced which I do not know so perhaps I can improve on my Chinese vocabulary by reading more Chinese newspapers, books etc.

I realized that the toilets, not only in the schools, but also in the public, are mostly very stinky and have no toilet paper provided for us. The toilets are also seldom the modern toilet seats but mainly the squatting types that are used in the past. The flushing system is also very undependable as there are many circumstances where the toilets cannot be flushed and a lot of paper and waste are stuck in the bowl, creating an unpleasant sight and producing disgusting smells. On the other hand, in Singapore, toilet papers are provided almost in all the toilets and the toilets seldom give out unpleasant stenches. The toilets are also modern toilet seats which are cleaner and the flushing system is so far quite reliable. This once again shows how China is less developed than us. Their toilets are much more unhygienic as compared to ours to the point where it made me very reluctant to go in there. It made me not take Singapore for granted as in Singapore, even little things like the toilets are made clean and hygienic for us, unlike China, where the toilet systems are not improved for the well-being of the people. I believe China really need to improve on their systems for the well-being of the country and that they should not keep focusing on the major aspects like the political and economical systems but also not neglect and forget about the minor issues like toilets as these tiny issues can actually create a great impact on their reputation when tourists from overseas visit the country. A tourist could have looked at China’s beautiful tourist attractions and start to love China but if she comes across a toilet that is extremely stinky and unhygienic, it could have changed her impression on China and made her realize that China also has its ugly or bad side. Hence, China should not neglect minor aspects like toilets to improve its country further and I, from these experiences in the toilets, am really proud that Singapore is able to take care of the many aspects of the country well, whether major or minor.

During the trip to the Humble Administrator's Garden, I realized that the place was well preserved with many traditional pagodas with ancient styles and designs. There were also many traditional bridges as well as rocks in that place, showing that China preserves its Chinese traditional cultures very well as the garden looked indeed very traditional and ancient as it was meant to be, not at all modern. The materials used to built all these infrastructures were also natural materials like wood, stone etc. I feel that this is something Singapore should learn from China--to preserve more of its own culture and heritage. Instead of focusing on making Singapore an even better developed country, the government should also not neglect the countries' history and culture by preserving them well with effort like China, who used mainly natural resources and traditional patterns to build its heritage sites to showcase its culture in a more realistic way. I also realized that the Chinese were really superstitious as they believed in many Chinese beliefs. For example, in the Humble Administrator's Garden, some of the pathways were crooked as the Chinese believed that at night, ghosts will appear and in order to prevent them from following us, crooked paths have to be made as ghosts can only travel in straight paths. Therefore, it shows that the Chinese are really superstitious to believe in such Chinese beliefs and even take action to it. This, I believe, is one of the Chinese cultures — that they believe in traditional Chinese beliefs. The act of building a crooked pathway has shown us this culture and the superstitious character of the Chinese, making me feel very impressed of the way these Chinese show and present their cultures and characters to us. It is a really interesting way of presenting their culture, I feel. It really is something that Singapore should learn from China — to think of more creative ideas to show and present our culture and history.

In the Shikumen museum, the past of China is once more presented where I had the chance to take a look at the type of housing the rich Chinese lived in during World War II. The house was really displayed for us and the designs were really very unique with a mixture of Eurasian and Chinese style. Although the houses are all gone by now, the ones created and duplicated at the museum is very realistic and does not seem artificial at all. The materials used were very antique, hence creating that traditional taste and antique, old atmosphere. It was so realistic that I felt that I was really back in the past, in an old, traditional house. This therefore once again shows that China really preserves its culture well, something Singapore can learn from. Singapore's museums should also perhaps follow China's way, to not only show the country’s history with pictures and wordings around the museum but also to create something more realistic that makes one feel like they have gone back to the past, like creating a kampong house etc. In terms of preserving culture and history, I believe China is doing it much better than Singapore due to the realism of their heritage sites. Overall, I can see that China has a lot of different ways to preserve its culture -- by preserving its heritage through places and infrastructures and also, by being superstitious.

Overall, I really learned a lot during this trip and is impressed by China's fast yet successful development greatly. I really look forward to seeing China's further development and progress and really wonder what the country will be like in the future.

Nellie Lim Jia Ji (15)

The 7-day overseas experiential learning programme (OELP) to China (Suzhou and Shanghai) was a remarkable and meaningful educational trip! Throughout the trip, we were exposed greatly to China’s history and culture. We have also gained knowledge on the rapid urban development of Shanghai and Suzhou. However, through this trip, we know that Shanghai and Suzhou cannot be representatives of China. China is not developed and urbanised overall as an entire nation, with certain areas that remain rural and still lack in urbanisation.

When I was in Suzhou and Shanghai, I realised that the environment and atmosphere were very similar to that of Singapore. In terms of transport and traffic, there were many highways and underground tunnels. There were also street lamps on the roads to make driving at night safer. As the times that we set off for our destinations were usually before or after the peak hours, we weren’t able to experience the severe traffic congestions that were infamous in Shanghai and Suzhou. I also learnt that there were buses, subways and high-speed rail trains to make travelling to and fro destinations easier and more accessible for the Chinese citizens. From what I heard from the tour guide, as some Chinese citizens work in Shanghai but reside in Suzhou, high-speed rail trains and subways reduce the travelling time, making travelling much more convenient for them. When travelling on the highways and roads, I also noticed that there were many high-rise offices and residential buildings. This is significant as high-rise buildings serve as evidence of urbanisation. The roads were also lined with many plants and trees. However, these trees are different to those planted in Singapore. In Singapore, there are many rain trees planted along the roads to shade vehicles from the intense heat and light of the sun. Whereas in Suzhou and Shanghai, the street trees are planted to absorb the hazardous air and release clear air back into the atmosphere as these cities often suffer poor air quality. Speaking of air quality, as compared to Singapore’s air, the air in Suzhou and Shanghai are not as clean. When I was at The Bund in Shanghai, the skyscraper was not very visible as it was quite foggy and hazy. This taught me to appreciate the clean and fresh air that we enjoy in Singapore most of the times. As we travelled along the roads, we spotted many shop houses. Most of the shop houses were black and white, also commonly known as 粉墙歹瓦. This is unique as the shop houses in Singapore have many different colours and patterns. One thing that I felt that Suzhou and Shanghai lacked greatly in was toilet cleanliness. Most of the toilets were dirty with an overwhelming awful stench. Some toilets also did not provide toilet papers and proper sanitary bins (for the ladies) which was disturbing. Their toilet bowls were also mostly the squat types which made it inconvenient for some of us. After this trip, I felt extremely grateful and thankful that most of the toilets in Singapore were clean.

The China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) was our first destination. From the exhibitions that we visited in the SIP, I’ve learnt that this major project was the collaboration and partnership between the 2 governments. In the midst of this project, China was able to learn from Singapore the policies/regulations implemented to govern the country and the methods/ideas used to industrialise and urbanise. Singapore, on the other hand, was able to venture into the Chinese market. As Suzhou had the land and natural resources with cheap labour force, it enabled Singapore businessmen and entrepreneurs to set up their company base in SIP. The profits that were made in SIP were then brought back into Singapore, thus improving Singapore’s economy greatly. Recently, the Chinese and Singapore governments celebrated the 20th anniversary of the SIP since it was established in 1994. The project has so far been a major success for both countries and has also strengthened both countries’ relationship and ties. This project has also reflected the capability of the Chinese government to achieve such rapid industrialistion and economic growth within such a short timeframe that they might pose a threat to Singapore. Therefore we Singaporeans, should not remain satisfied of Singapore’s current success and stop there but instead should continue to work towards greater heights.

During our stay in Suzhou, we had two school immersions to 西安交通大学附属中学 and 星海实验中学 which have left a great impact on me! After visiting these two schools and attending some of the lessons, I have a better understanding of the education system of China. I learnt that they have 高考 (similar to ‘A’ Levels held in Singapore in November) in June, which is a very important and crucial national examination that determines the universities that the students will go. Like any other student in Singapore, the students in China also have dream universities where they would want to further their studies. The Chinese government values this examination to the extent where no construction work was to be carried out during the examination period. If a student was to be caught in a traffic jam on the examination day, officers will ride on motorcycles to fetch the student to the examination center. This shows how important and crucial the 高考 is for the Chinese. Similar to the education system in Singapore, most schools in China aim to nurture and develop their students holistically despite some where academic remains as top priority. 

During the school immersion, there was a significant difference in terms of the facilities that the schools in Suzhou and Singapore. In Singapore, schools use whiteboards and markers, with visualisers and projectors with lesson notes being printed out for us. However, in Suzhou, the schools we visited used blackboards and chalk. They did not have any visualisers and their notes were hand-copied by the students themselves. This made me realise how fortunate I am with many facilities provided by the school to create a better learning environment for us students. We are also more advanced in terms of technology as we have iPads to assist our lessons and learning processes. Most of our textbooks and some lesson notes are given to us softcopy too, reducing the weight of the schoolbags we bring to school each day. 

What surprised me the most was that the students did not have canteens with food stores where they could decide and buy what they wanted to eat. Instead, they had a cafeteria where everyone queued for and ate the same food. Their meals were balanced with huge servings – 2 dishes of vegetables, 2 dishes of meat, a bowl of soup, a bowl of rice and a serving of fruit. It was definitely a great surprise for me as this practice is hardly or never seen in Singapore primary and secondary schools!

The trips to the schools also made me realise something that Singapore students lack greatly. The students in Suzhou are proactive and take pride in their work. During lessons, as soon as a teacher finishes a question, a bunch of hands will already be in the air. The students are all very proactive and initiative. They are willing to volunteer and share their answers with no hesitation. This shows that they take pride in their work too! In Singapore, such a scenario is hardly seen. Singapore students are often afraid to share their answers for the fear of it being wrong or being laughed by their classmates. As a result, precious lesson times are often wasted as we wait for a brave soul to share his/her answer. In this aspect, we should learn from the Suzhou students and be more confident of our work!

During our stay in Suzhou, there were also visits to cultural and historical areas like the Humble Administrator’s Garden (拙政园), the No.1 Silk Factory in Suzhou (苏州第一丝绸厂), the Suzhou Museum (苏州博物馆) and Shantang Street (七里山塘街). Before I went on the trip, I always wondered why the Chinese government did not demolish these places and use these lands to build bigger companies and factories that can bring in bigger profits. However as I visited each attraction, I gradually understood the purpose behind preserving such places. The visit to the Humble Administrator’s Garden impacted me the greatest. One of the most interesting things that struck me was the architecture and designs of the pagodas and pavilions. One of the pavilions and corridors was built with the image of a dragon. Chinese believes that dragons are supposedly majestic creatures that bring good luck, prosperity, happiness and wealth. Also, the Chinese believe that ghosts travel in straight lines, thus they built corridors and doorways with curves. The windows also have different flower patterns on them as the Chinese believe that it will allow people to enjoy the different sceneries of different seasons differently. The fact that the architecture and designs of the different infrastructures were built according the Chinese beliefs made the whole place more interesting and meaningful than just admiring pretty flowers. The visits to these cultural and historical places made me realise the importance of preserving culture and heritage, that these culture and history can never be replaced by modern buildings and factories.

Our stay at Shanghai was also an eye-opener. I learnt that the urban structure of Shanghai in the past was greatly influenced by the western sides. In 1840, China signed the Treaty of Nanjing where they were forced to open certain ports of China like Shanghai. From then on, the design of infrastructures and fashion styles in Shanghai were greatly influenced by the western culture. Shanghai is able to rapidly develop and enjoy rapid economic growth as it is also a coastal-lying city; therefore it is easily accessible by sea and air. As a result, abundant of trades is being processed in Shanghai. With huge amount of goods and products being imported and exported every day, Shanghai has been able to have a stable profit increment. With many foreigners/tourists coming in and out of Shanghai daily, 2 airports are being built such that it makes Shanghai easily accessible for Chinese citizens or foreign businessmen.

Overall, I feel that this trip to China has enabled me to better understand and appreciate China’s history and culture. If given the opportunity, I would like to venture to other areas of China, preferably the country side, where I will be able to see and compare the profound difference between a developed province to a rural country province in China. This way, we will be able to see how China might still be lacking in some areas or are not as developed as the more prominent provinces like the Beijing and Shanghai. 

Pan Shu Ting (19)

I understand that based on the schools that we have visited, the students there are not as biculturally oriented as us, because they were uncomfortable with speaking English when we asked questions in English. They could not understand our questions in Chinese, which there was fault on our part. During lessons, they listen attentively and don't interrupt the teacher unnecessarily even when they have to stay in school until 4.30pm or so. The food served in school on a day is the same for every student, with the exception of vegetarians. The school focuses on Art and creativity as they dedicate rooms to art galleries and even a workshop with inventions and models, which is an upgrade compared to our school's Design and Technology workshop and design studio.

Suzhou Industrial Park is an area consisting of schools, museums, homes, etc. It is not a literal park but an urbanised and industrialised area. It is existing proof that China can ultimately keep up with many advanced countries in the near future. It is a milestone in the development of China and I believe other areas can learn from it. It also resembles Singapore with its high-rise buildings and neat rows of trees. I can really see how Singapore has helped implement their methods into the SIP project and I feel proud that my country can make such a positive, drastic change to China.

I understand that instead of the stereotypical view that in the education sector only academics is taken into account, the schools in China highly appreciate creativity in music and art. China takes the step to preserve their culture and history. One example is the Humble Administrator's Garden where the beauty of infrastructure and nature come together. They conserve their roots, which constantly remind them of where they started and how much they have progressed as a nation today.

I think China will be able to catch up with Singapore in a number of years, and there will definitely be competition between both countries. Nonetheless, we can still remain having good ties and maybe engage in future development projects with a win-win situation.I think China will be more willing to trade more with Singapore because of their good relationship status. Because China has a lot of resources, Singapore can benefit from them by using those resources to boost our economy.

As a student, I can definitely learn from the schools. I can appreciate the little things such as being given the freedom to choose what I want to eat every day, and to try to enjoy my hours of school and learn as much as I can. At home, I can wisely make use of all the resources provided and not give in to the temptation of technology. In Singapore, I can appreciate the clear air and nice warm weather and how it has developed throughout the years. In addition, I can appreciate the cleaniness and hygiene of the toilets as I had some unpleasant experiences with the toilets in China.

There are many possibilities in order to develop my bicultural orientation as I realise that have much room to develop. Reading books is a start, even history books where I subconsciously absorb information about the content and even language-wise. Books are convenient resources, which I think our generation does not take advantage of that much. Maybe even speaking with our friends in our own Mother Tongue can help to improve our speech, but this can only happen if we are committed to speaking it for a period of time, but not entirely ignoring English. Another way is to join the bicultural course that my school offers from secondary 3 onwards.

Overall, this trip has really exposed me to what it is like in China, and that what I know is limited and it has all been from what I heard about the place. My view of the people and system there has totally changed as this trip has also forced me to think of future possibilities and how to really analyse almost every single aspect. Within 8 days, the amount of information and learning points have summed up to be much more than I had expected, and I hope future learning journeys await us.

Reuben Loo Jie Long (31)

I went to China during 27 May 2014 to 4 June 2014 and went to Shanghai and Su Zhou. We have went to various places such as SIP project, Humble Administrator’s Garden, Lu Xun Memorial Hall, Nanjing Road and the Oriental Pearl Tower.

The SIP project is a Singapore – Su Zhou collaboration which aims to develop a modern industrial township with Singapore experience. In the SIP project, they have built schools, HDB flats, factories, warehouses and facilities just like Singapore did. I have visited a few schools, facilities and the main building of the SIP project that oversees the entire project. Su Zhou wanted to know how Singapore achieved notable economic success within 30 years of independence and thus collaborated with us to use Singapore experience in building their buildings. However, Su Zhou is more interested in the hardware we build than the software (the planning) we do. Overall, the SIP project was a successful one, Singapore and Su Zhou had to learn from each other that our way of doing projects are different.

Also, I went to 星海实验中学for school immersion trip. The students there are friendly, hardworking and attentive in class. They are competitive in sports and friendly towards me. One thing I feel that Singapore students can learn from the students from the school is that they are attentive and take the initiative to answer questions unlike us. They also treasure everything they have, for example during pe lesson, they had not much basketballs and only took a basketball which was a little spoilt and used it. Facilities in the school are not that great but the students treasure them. The school curriculum there is different from Singapore. They are more focused on education but Singapore schools are more focused on all rounded education including aesthetics.

I have also visited the Humble Administrator’s Garden. The scenery in the garden is also spectacular. There are ancient Chinese pagodas, dragon like bridges. These structures are built long ago and contain rich Chinese history such as how they are built. Chinese use structures such as bridges, dragons to represent important places. They also built bridges curved as they believed ghosts appear at night and can’t walk curved, only straight so that they do not follow humans on the bridge. The humble administrators garden is divided into 3 parts as it is won by 3 persons from a mahjong match with each person who won owns a part of the garden. One thing I liked was the curved pagoda roofs, they add a tinge of ancient Chinese flavor to them as it cannot be found in most parts of the world.

I also went to a silk factory in Su Zhou and saw how silk was made. Silkworms can be used for many purposes such as eating, making into silk, and used for medicine. Surprisingly, silk can be made into healthcare products too, such as cream, gel, etc. When the silkworms form a cocoon, 70% of them are used for producing silk while 30% of them are used for reproduction for the next batch of silkworm production. There are three types of silkworm cocoons, triple cocoons, double cocoons and single cocoons. Triple & double cocoons are used for making silk blankets, etc. Single cocoons are made into small silk fabric. A strand of silk is 1/8 the width of a hair. Also, the single strands of silk have to be tied into a bunch consisting 8 strands of silk altogether to make silk products.

I went to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition too. There, we had a guide arranged for us. He explained to us the different parts of china, showing us its development, etc. I remember him saying that Shanghai had only one MRT line before, but would soon have 22 lines all over the country. There is no doubt that shanghai has developed much as it has built skyscrapers, (Oriental Pearl Tower, one of the world’s most tallest building), ports, industries and buildings. Shanghai’s port is developing fast and I feel that it poses a threat as a competitor to Singapore.

I went to the Shikumen Museum too. The houses there are made of wood. The houses were a fusion of European and Chinese architecture. Also, the houses shared a common wall, courtyard and are attached to each other closely as it encourages socializing between neighbours and also prevent burglars and proved useful during world war 2. This type of housing was extremely popular as it made a good use of space. Wealth people from Zhejiang and Jiangsu took refuge in Shanghai. The type of housing promoted communal living too.

I went to Lu Xun Memorial Hall. Lu Xun lived from September 25, 1881 – October 19, 1936. He was the father of modern Chinese literature. He studied medical sciences when he was young. During his time in Shanghai, WW2 was going on. He saw Japanese soldiers kill a Shanghainese but other mainlanders did not help, only stood there and look. He felt very angry, he thinks that the mainlanders should try to prevent the killings of innocent people and not just be a bystander. Lu Xun then went on to curing the peoples’ attitiudes. He wrote essays in a form of Chinese that poor people could read and no the ‘higher’ standard of Chinese. before his death, he was a chronic smoker and wrote two essays, "Death", and "This Too Is Life".

I went to the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, Oriental Pearl Tower. The Oriental Pearl Tower is a landmark of Shanghai and one of the tallest buildings in the world. It oversees almost the whole of shanghai and is located at the tip of Lujiazui in the Pudong district by the side of Huangpu River, opposite The Bund.

I went to Nanjing Road to shop, there are a lot of shops there that sell a variety of things. There were also tons of people at that time and we were told that there are pickpockets and thus must take care of our belongings.

As for HaiDiLao, it is a dining place that serves hotpot. The food there is quite yummy! :D it is a extremely popular dining place for tourist and locals.

I went to Commemoration Exhibition of Expo 2010 Shanghai. Expo 2010 Shanghai China was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, from 1 May to 31 October 2010. It holds te largest amount of land ever among all the expos. I went to the expo in 2010 too, there were a lot of people and we had to queue to enter any exhibition hall, especially popular ones which needed special VIP passes or booked 3-4 before.

My trip to Shanghai and Suzhou was extremely enriching, Shanghai is developing fast and can soon be compared to Singapore as a threat. I have learned more about Chinese culture in terms of how they build structures, study, etc. I think some good factors of them can be used back in Singapore. Personally as a student, I should be more attentive in class and take the initiative to answer questions. Also, to improve my bicultural orientation, I will take bicultural in year3/4 and go out to places more often.

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