Everyday Reflection
On 24th May 2015, 2F, class of 2015, set off on a journey to AnHui, China. And must I say, it will be one of the most unforgettable journey they(I) have been on.
Day 1: 24th May 2015
Early in the morning, 7am, we headed to the airport to catch our flight at 10am. After a long and tiring 5h flight, we finally reached China. We then headed for dinner(travelling from place to place can take a really long time in China.). After dinner(which was quite different from Singapore cuisine, but still tasted as good!!), we headed to the Song Dynasty Town, which is the biggest theme park featuring the civilization of the Song Dynasty in China as well as demonstrates the rich cultural contents present during the Song Dynasty. The town is mainly divided into the reappearance of the painting "A Town Street Look of Spring in the Song Dynasty", Nine Dragon Square, Song Dynasty Town Square, Fairy Hill&Wonderful Town Square and Emperor Palace, Custom Romance Street in Southern Song Dynasty.
That night, we, I, learnt many things, especially about the peoples culture, from wandering the streets of the Song Dynasty Town, as well as the performance we watched there, which depicted the life of the people in the Song Dynasty.
The people then were very festive people, who loved celebration, and celebrated everything and anything with song and dance. There was once, when it was the emperor's birthday, the people of China celebrated for 3 days in a row by performing the arts.
And this culture of celebrating with song and dance has been continued all the way till today. Every time there is an important festive occasion, the Chinese will celebrate it with live and gusto, putting on a great performance in the arts that they show so much talent in. And I think that the fact that they have been keeping this "performing" tradition and culture alive till now, is very beautiful.
Self Reflection
1. I chose to go on this trip to AnHui, as, well a very "duh" answer, it was compulsory.
But that it not the real reason why I chose to go on the trip. One of the "real" reasons why I
chose to go was because, it seemed like a very good opportunity to bond more with the
class, and also my teachers and friends. After all, it is not everyday, or every year one gets
to go all the way to China with her class for a week! By going on this trip, I would be able
to better know my classmates and grow closer to them. This trip would also allow me to
learn more about the Chinese and their culture, their history. This trip will help to expand
my not very vast knowledge of the Chinese, of my people, my race. I will be spending a
whole week with the people of China after all.
Although I had to make some tough choices, such as leaving my family and my home, my
"comfort zone" for a week, going all the way to a foreign country, I still decided to go, as I
knew that it would be worth it.
By deciding to go on this trip, I also made many other decisions. Such decisions included:
1) Deciding that I would be resilient. I knew this trip would not be an easy one(especially
because of the very respectable Mrs Lee that would bring us on the trip), we were also told
we would get very little sleep, and that was only one of the problems. Thus I decided that I
had to persevere, and that I would persevere throughout the 8 days.
2) I decided that I would be versatile these 8 days. I knew that in China, the conditions
would not be the same as in Singapore, thus I had to adapt to whatever would happen in
China, be it the physical environment, or with the people, as I may not understand their
culture, or be as used to or familiar with their ways as I am with those of the people in
Singapore.
3) I decided to be observant. There would definitely be many differences and similarities
between China and Singapore, which was probably why our school wanted to send us
there, to observe the differences , and their similarities, so that maybe would could apply
China's ways to Singapore for a change for the better.
By going on this trip, I hope to learn many things. Actually, everything and anything they
are offering to teach me, I want to learn. However, more specifically, I want to learn about
their culture, their history. How their ways differ from us and why. How different their
Chinese is from us, and also why. I would also like to learn about their delicacies, as after
all, food plays a very important role in the culture of the people. I would also like to learn
more about the Chinese language, my mother tongue, while I am there, as I feel that I
hardly know anything about it, be it its history, or even how to use it well, despite it being
my mother tongue. By learning more about it and its history, I feel that I will learn to love it
more, and also feel more motivation to do better in it.
2. The one incident I feel very strongly about is when I got sick and both Mrs Lee and our
tour guide Lily "stayed back" just to look after me. Late at night, when she could have been
sleeping, she chose to stay with me and watch me sleep and make sure I took my
medicine so my fever would go down. She was hoping I would recover by the next day as
our whole class would be climbing Mount Huangshan the next day and she hoped I would
be able to climb it as it would be something worth remembering. She stayed by my side,
taking my temperature every now and then, until my roommate came back after debrief,
which we all know would be very late at night. When my roommate came back, Lily told
her over and over again to get me to take my medication and sleep early.
The next day, sadly, I did not recover from my fever. So, I could not climb Mount
Huangshan. And even though I heard tour guide Lily say that she wanted to climb Mount
Huangshan, she was willing to stay back in the hotel with me and take care of me till I got
well. This touched me a lot,as she gave up something she really wanted to do, just to take
care of me. Mrs Lee also surprised me a lot . Before and during the first half of the trip, I
have always thought of her as a very fierce and scary person. But when I was sick, she
actually cared and worried a lot for me, she made sure I ate my medicine on time and got
enough rest. When I was sick, I saw a different side of Mrs Lee, the nicer side of Mrs Lee.
This taught me not to judge people that quickly, and also not to always listen to rumors.
One person that taught me more things than what a class could achieve, was my house
visit buddy. She taught me how to make my own dumplings. She brought me to the wet
market, and taught me how things work there. She showed me how a family worked in
China, how good their people relations among neighbors were. She taught me about her
daily life, the daily life of a Chinese Secondary School student, how that their lives, we're
not any easier than ours.
And I am pretty sure all these are not things a teacher would be able to teach us in a class
room. I mean sure they could talk and maybe they could tell us about it, but the learning
experience and the amount to knowledge we absorb in the classroom definitely would not
compare to the "hands-on" and "first hand" learning experience we got from going to visit
our China buddy.
One fact that I learnt which impacted me the most was the fact that the Chinese people
were actually very very friendly. Before the trip, I had always thought that they would be
very cold and competitive people, who only cared about studies, but when I got to the
Secondary School there(Shou Cun Secondary School), my impression of them and the
actual them, proved to be worlds apart. The moment I stepped into their class, they
welcomed me with open arms. They brought me to sit with them and they all introduced
themselves with a smile on their faces. And when I did not understand what was
happening during class, my table-mate would try to explain what was happening to me, in
English, even though it was difficult for her. All in all, the people, the students, the
teachers,etc, were very nice and open and kind.
This fact impacted me a lot as it once again showed me not to judge others so quickly
based on rumors and to expect the unexpected.
3. This trip affects me in a way that it makes me take my time to judge people. Often, I
hear rumors about a certain someone, thus forming an impression of that someone in my
head before I even meet him or her. I also tend to judge others very quickly, like the
moment I meet the person, a first impression forms and that impression usually stays that
way and is very difficult to change. This may be a problem as I will end up having a certain
impression of a person and thus treat him or her a certain way, when he or she may not
deserve it as I do not even know him or her that well to be certain of their personality.
However, during this trip, two of my initial judgements of people were deemed wrong, and
their actual selfs were worlds apart, and definitely, much better than my initial impressions
of them. Thus, I have decided, that in future, I will only judge others, once I get to know
them and only when I know them well will I judge them.
Some long term changes that I hope would take place are definitely:
1. To be more independent. Here in Singapore, I am over reliant on my mother. Every
little problem that arises, I would call for her to help me solve it. Every time I need help,
I would call her. Here in China, I would be without my mother for 8 days. I really hope
to become more independent here, and maybe learn how deal with little problems such
a creased clothes or missing clothes on my own, and maybe even learn how to cook
and boil water.
2. To speak and use more fluent Chinese and have a wide vocabulary in Chinese.
Despite being Chinese and having grandparents who only speak and understand
Chinese at home, my Chinese, sad to say, definitely is not the best. Thus I hope that
by coming to China and staying here for 8 days, my command of Chinese would
improve ten fold and stay that way.
3. I hope I will become happier. Before this trip, I have been very stressed out, be it about
academics or maybe my co-curriculum activity. By going on this trip, I hope to de-
stress and become a happier person. And I hope to stay a happy person for a very
long time.
I feel that the bicycle attempt in China that we learnt about in China is something we
should bring back to try in Singapore. To reduce pollution, the China government opened
bicycle renting places all over China, making it easy for her people to rent and return the
bicycles. The fact that is was easily accessible and very convenient made people more
open and willing to take bikes instead of cars. We should also do this is Singapore. It suits
Singapore's situation as:
1. We are trying to reduce the amount of cars on the road.
2. Singapore is a small country and riding bicycles around instead of cars would not
actually be that tiring.
We students should also learn from the Chinese students learning attitude. They find that
they are very lucky as compared to many others in their country who do not have the same
opportunity to learn, and thus enjoy learning much more and are willing to go to school,
and in fact enjoy doing so, even though they have long learning hours every day. We
should adopt this enthusiastic learning attitude in Singapore and learn as much as we can,
so that we can contribute back to society in the future, as we, Singaporeans, are
Singapore's only natural resource
Singapore Youth Culture vs China Youth Culture
I am not very sure about the youth culture in China, thus there are much less photos in this montage. However, call it a stereotype or whatsoever, but from my point of view, I feel that they are a very traditional bunch of people thus the ethnic costumes. I also feel that they are a very festive bunch.
What I d know however, is that the like to shop and eat good food, just like me(us).
Folk
The folk in Hefei, AnHui, like to play the Fenyang Flower Drum as a source of entertainment, and also to ceebrate special occasions.
The culture of playing the Fengyang Flower Drum formed during theMing Dynasty(1368-1644), mingles with sorrow and sadness. At that time, plagued by floods and droughts, many people were forced to leave their homes and went out begging, usually in pairs: one to beat the drum and the other to beat the gong, while both of them sang together. Most performers then were husband and wife, or sisters-in-law. That was the earliest form of Fengyang Flower Drum. During the performance, the two sang together while sitting on a bench and beat gongs and drums without the accompaniment of thread or string instruments.
Nowadays however, people no longer sing of sorrowful things, but sing to tell of love stories and new lives, while absorbing modern artistic elements. This gives the Fengyang Flower Drum a unique local flavour to AnHui, thus making it a hit, also because it reminds the people of their roots.
Do You Think The Merlion would make the Best National Icon for Singapore?
What is the purpose of a national icon? It is to create an iconic view of the people of the nations' values, goals or history. Does the merlion make the best national icon for Singapore? In my opinion, it is a no. Surely, it is a plays a very big role in showing our history to others, for example, telling others how we got our name as Singapura, the lion city, thus the lion head. Its fish tail is also a representation of Singapore's humble beginnings as a fishing village. But, that is where it ends.
Nowadays, I feel that the main purpose the merlion serves as a national icon is to attract tourists. In fact, it has increased Singapore's number of tourists from a mere 100,000 to a whooping 10 million, maybe even more now.
And if you ask the tourists, the reason why they are here to take a photo with the merlion is not because of it being a very creative an innovative structure, or because it is a historical monument, in fact most of them do not even know how the merlion came about. They come to take a photo with the merlion because it is the cool thing to do.
Thus I feel that the merlion does not make the best national icon.
In fact I feel that are many other icons that better represent Singapore, one of them is none other than our SG50 icon.
This is because even though we are only a little red dot, we are the little red dot. Despite our small size, we dream big. And we have achieved those big dreams, growing far beyond our size, resources and others' expectations of us. The SG50 logo represents our resilience, sense of identity, and of course of Singapore spirit. It also serves as a reminder of how far we have come, from a little belittled 3rd world country, to a thriving first world country, and reminds us to continue to keep it this way. This logo also shows how when, us, small little red dots, come together, we are one big red dot, and we can achieve great things.
Thus I feel that the SG50 logo makes a better icon of Singapore, as it shows our values, dreams and our history.
Remembering Lee Kuan Yew
The Tang Dynasty was the "Golden Age' of China. Why was that so? The Tang was under great leadership and rule, bringing it great wealth(trade), making it the most populous as well as sophisticated civilization.
Present Singapore can also be said to be experiencing its "Golden Age". Singapore is one of the 'richest' countries in the world, ranking second in the world in terms of net international investment position per capita. Singapore also has one of the busiest ports in the world.
Healthcare in Singapore is also top notch, with the best healthcare in Asia, and sixth in the world. Our healthcare services has brought royalties,etc. from other countries all the way to Singapore.
We also have the third best education in the world.
Our clean and green environment has earned Singapore the title of 'The City in a Garden', attracting many tourists and immigrants to Singapore.
However, all this would not be possible without the great leadership and guidance of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. For it was he who had all the great dreams for Singapore, and it was also him who made them come true. It was also him who trusted in us Singaporeans, who invested his whole life into Singapore. It was him who changed Singapore for the better, who made Singapore, a small fishing village, a thirld world, into a prospering city, a metropolis, a first world Singapore. It was him who made Singapore what it is today.
China's Economic Growth
China's economy has been growing as the years go by, as can be seen in the photo below.
One Child Policy
In China, there was a strict one child policy(parents could only give birth to one child).
On 24th May 2015, 2F, class of 2015, set off on a journey to AnHui, China. And must I say, it will be one of the most unforgettable journey they(I) have been on.
Day 1: 24th May 2015
Early in the morning, 7am, we headed to the airport to catch our flight at 10am. After a long and tiring 5h flight, we finally reached China. We then headed for dinner(travelling from place to place can take a really long time in China.). After dinner(which was quite different from Singapore cuisine, but still tasted as good!!), we headed to the Song Dynasty Town, which is the biggest theme park featuring the civilization of the Song Dynasty in China as well as demonstrates the rich cultural contents present during the Song Dynasty. The town is mainly divided into the reappearance of the painting "A Town Street Look of Spring in the Song Dynasty", Nine Dragon Square, Song Dynasty Town Square, Fairy Hill&Wonderful Town Square and Emperor Palace, Custom Romance Street in Southern Song Dynasty.
That night, we, I, learnt many things, especially about the peoples culture, from wandering the streets of the Song Dynasty Town, as well as the performance we watched there, which depicted the life of the people in the Song Dynasty.
The people then were very festive people, who loved celebration, and celebrated everything and anything with song and dance. There was once, when it was the emperor's birthday, the people of China celebrated for 3 days in a row by performing the arts.
And this culture of celebrating with song and dance has been continued all the way till today. Every time there is an important festive occasion, the Chinese will celebrate it with live and gusto, putting on a great performance in the arts that they show so much talent in. And I think that the fact that they have been keeping this "performing" tradition and culture alive till now, is very beautiful.
Day 2: 25/6/15
This was the first whole day we spent in China. And so of course we did much more on day 2, as compared to Day 1. We went to many places, and the place that left me with the best impression, was the Cheng Kun Tea Museum and Plantations, as it taught me more about agriculture in China.
Agriculture to me has always just been something we study about during Geography lessons. But after this trip, I found out more about agriculture and how it does not just occupy land on a plane. It also is a source of income for people, and in a way, a way to preserve "the old ways", the culture and tradition of growing your own food yourself(and also picking it yourself). I thought me about the satisfaction you get when all your hard work finally bears fruit. And also, how good "home-grown" tea can actually taste.
I also learnt a lot more about tea.
Day 3: 26/5/15
It was the last day we would be spending in Hangzhou. I was sad, but in a way excited as we would be going to Huangshan the next day, afterwards followed by Hefei which was where our sister school was!!
Anyways, Day 3.
We went to Hongcun Village, which was rich in cultural heritage as well as history. But what struck me the most about that place was its architecture. The architecture of the buildings there were definitely not seen in modern 21st century buildings. True, the history of the buildings in Hongcun Village and Hngcun Village itself dates back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which is about 900 years ago, so the difference in architecture should not have been that big of a surprise to me. True that, but nevertheless, I was still awed. Firstly, pretty the buildings were. Secondly, by how well the buildings are preserved, I mean 900 years into the future and they are still standing tall and strong.
The people in the Ming and Dynasty were creative and innovative people. Hongcun Village is arranged in the shape of an ox, with the nearby hill ( Leigang Hill) interpreted as its head, and the two trees standing on it as its horns. Four bridges across the Jinyin stream can be seen as its legs and the houses seen as its body. Inside the 'body', the Jinyin stream can also be seen the intestines and other lakes as its internal organs.
Outside each house, there will be a small "stream" of water flowing, where they can collect water(only after 830am!) and it is said that if you get lost in the Hongcun village, just follow the stream of water to find your way out.
Inside the house, there will be an animal carved out of wood. There are rules to what type of animal can be carved and used in your house though. Only the emperor can use the carving of a dragon. The tiger can only be placed in houses of officials. Other animals are free to use.
AnHui architecture is truly intriguing, after the trip to Hongcun Village, I could not wait to find out more about the different architecture in AnHui.
Day 4: 27/5/15
Day 4 was the day I fell sick. I guess I do not have the strongest immune system sigh. So that morning, I said goodbye to my classmates as they set off on an "adventure" to climb Mount Huangshan. I was a little sad as I watched them leave, I was really looking forward to that day, climbing a mountain, achieving another "goal" in life, but this time, not alone, but as a class, as 2F 2015. But oh well, as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining, my silver lining was that I would get to catch up with my lack of sleep(I got an extra 3 or 5h of sleep that day!!) and recover fully.
That night, my roommate told me all about what happened when the climbed the mountain. "It was so foggy we could hardly see 50m in front of us," she said." But it was still fun, in fact it is quite heng that it was foggy. This way, we would not end up concentrating on the view instead of where we were walking, it was a slippery path hahah. But the stuff that we could see(the things on the mountain) were also beautiful."
She also told me many other (funny) stories about what happened during the climb. I laughed till my stomach hurt but anyways that's not the main point.
The main point is, after the talk, I got to thinking, what about Mount Huangshan attracted people to go there. And then it hit me, it was the environment. Sure the number one reason was because of the scenery. But what if it was a foggy day like the day my class went to climb it? People still go. It was probably because of the well maintained environment there which was so different from the modern typical environment we are all used to. It has legitimate trees instead of skyscrapers. Birds fly freely there instead of getting chased away by people. And the air there is much much much fresher, as compared to the usual polluted city air we are all used to. And that makes a person much more relaxed, does it not? And nowadays, a relaxed environment is what everyone is looking for.
Day 5: 28/5/15:
We went to Meiling's Fridge Company and Factory that day. And must I say, we learnt a lot about economy that day, and also how much creativity and an innovative mind can help with boosting the economy and increasing one's earnings.
In Meiling, they come up with a wide variety of fridges. And boy was I surprised when I saw the different fridges they had. They even had one with an android device on it, which will tell you how much food you have left in the fridge, how to cook your food, etc. I was so amazed. There was also another fridge that you could watch videos on. (By coming up with many different designs, they wil, attract more customers( a wider variety)and earn more money. Amazing is it not!!!)
There was also another area that they were very "creative" in. They collaborate with countries overseas so that they can ship their goods overseas. Why don't they sell it overseas with their own brand, you ask. I was wondering too. But now that you think of it, maybe it is because: their brand may not be as recognized in other countries, and thus may not purchase their goods. so why not just sell your goods to a well know brand, and earn just as much, or maybe even more, money?
Their creativity and innovativeness is really something I should learn more from.
Day 6: 29/5/15
29th June was the second and last day we would be "attending" to Shou Chun Secondary School. That thought itself made me sad. But, I pushed it away, and told myself to enjoy the my last day there and learn as much as possible.
I still remember that on 28th June, our teacher told us that we would only be taking Math, Science, Geography and Chinese lessons with our friends in Shou Chun Secondary. But no English lessons. At that point of time, I was saddened by that fact as I would be missing the only time when I could "show off"(well my China buddies would probably be better at every other subject anyways), even though my English is not the best. But when we had to say goodbye to our China buddies we attended class with (my class was class八三十一 
) , I was sad that we did not have that one extra English lesson as it meant not getting to spend more time with the new friends I just made.
I would miss them so much. Even though I only spent a short two days with them, but the friendships we forged are irreplaceable.
The things i learnt these few days are also really important.
For example, I learnt much more about the education system here in China. It is very different from the education system in Singapore. They have summer breaks to end their "year"(one "year" of school would be from eg. june 2013-june 2014). The classroom environment is also very different. In the classroom, the students are very high in spirits and fight to answer questions asked by teachers(in which they answer with confidence). They also listen very attentively and quietly to the teacher when she or he is teaching. I feel that this is something we should learn more from them as in Singapore, a typical classroom environment would be: students making unnecessary noise, only to bow their heads down, look away and keep silent when the teacher asks a question. When called upon, answer softly and unsurely.
Day 7: 30/5/15
Day 7 was one of the most memorable days among the 8 days we spent at China. On that day, we visited our buddies house in groups of 3 or 4, to learn more about the people of China. And boy, did I learn a lot from them.
For one, people of China are really hospitable. The moment we stepped into their house, and even before that, they treated us kindly. The moment we stepped into the house, they offered us slippers to wear around the house, and also drinks(for drinking). They kept us entertained for the whole day with a whole day by planning out a list of activities(eg. shopping at the wet market, making dumplings). When we were not "doing much", they would talk to us, telling us about their daily lives, the history of China, the geography of China, etc. We learnt a lot that day. I hope our China buddy also learnt as much from us when we told her about Singapore.
Another thing we learnt that day was how to make dumplings. About an hour before lunch was served, our buddy's mother took out a bowl of minced meat and vegetables, as well as wanton skin. we were all curious as to what was happening, and the next thing we knew, she called out to all of us saying, "Come, it is time to make dumplings!"
The people of China were very patient. I was not the type of person who was good at "hands-on" activities, thus, making dumplings did not come easy to me. However, as stated above, our buddy, and her mother, patiently taught me how to do it well, they would correct me and tell me how to improve, dumpling by dumpling. By lunchtime, all of us, including me, were all experts in dumpling wrapping.
Chinese were really generous people. For lunch, our buddy's father cooked a whole table of food, which was absolutely delicious, for us. When , we could not finish the food, they offered to pack the food for us to bring it back to eat. They also gave us many(expensive looking) gifts.
The people of China are also very easily contented. And I say that as a good thing. I recall that while interviewing our buddy's mother, we asked her what she was unsatisfied with, living in China.
Maybe it was because I was used to complaints coming one after another, but when she said she was completely satisfied with her current lifestyle, I was taken aback.
I feel that this is something us Singaporeans should learn from the Chinese. In Singapore, our standards of living is already considered to be one of the best. Yet, we still have so many complaints about every little thing. However, in China, as long as they have a roof over their heads, food to eat, and clothes to wear, they will be more than happy.
We should learn to be like that too, to appreciate and treasure what we have, instead of always wanting more.
Day 8：31/5/15
Today was the day that we would be returning to Singapore. It was also the day that I learnt more about transportation in China.
China is a very very big country, unlike Singapore which is a little red dot. Thus travelling from place to place in China may(be challenging and) take a really long time some(most of the) times. For example, the average time taken to travel from place to place in China is around half an hour(by bus) whereas in Singapore, that is probably around the maximum time taken.
In China, people also have to travel between states. And that may, actually will, take a long time if you opt for driving. For example, our bus driver took approximately 9 hours to get from Hefei to Hangzhou. So, the question is how do you deal with the traveling time between places. How does China deal with it?
The answer: High Speed Railway Trains.
And believe me, this train lives up to its name.
Before this, I have never ridden a high speed railway train before. I just knew it was really fast. But my previous knowledge could not have prepared me for what the actual thing "felt" like.
It was so fast.
It was as if: You get on the train. Settle down. And, boom, you are there.
What was once a nine hour journey, was reduced to a 2 and a half hour journey. And a really comfortable one at that.
Now, if I could take a High Speed Railway Train to school everyday, wouldn't that be great.
Self Reflection
1. I chose to go on this trip to AnHui, as, well a very "duh" answer, it was compulsory.
But that it not the real reason why I chose to go on the trip. One of the "real" reasons why I
chose to go was because, it seemed like a very good opportunity to bond more with the
class, and also my teachers and friends. After all, it is not everyday, or every year one gets
to go all the way to China with her class for a week! By going on this trip, I would be able
to better know my classmates and grow closer to them. This trip would also allow me to
learn more about the Chinese and their culture, their history. This trip will help to expand
my not very vast knowledge of the Chinese, of my people, my race. I will be spending a
whole week with the people of China after all.
Although I had to make some tough choices, such as leaving my family and my home, my
"comfort zone" for a week, going all the way to a foreign country, I still decided to go, as I
knew that it would be worth it.
By deciding to go on this trip, I also made many other decisions. Such decisions included:
1) Deciding that I would be resilient. I knew this trip would not be an easy one(especially
because of the very respectable Mrs Lee that would bring us on the trip), we were also told
we would get very little sleep, and that was only one of the problems. Thus I decided that I
had to persevere, and that I would persevere throughout the 8 days.
2) I decided that I would be versatile these 8 days. I knew that in China, the conditions
would not be the same as in Singapore, thus I had to adapt to whatever would happen in
China, be it the physical environment, or with the people, as I may not understand their
culture, or be as used to or familiar with their ways as I am with those of the people in
Singapore.
3) I decided to be observant. There would definitely be many differences and similarities
between China and Singapore, which was probably why our school wanted to send us
there, to observe the differences , and their similarities, so that maybe would could apply
China's ways to Singapore for a change for the better.
By going on this trip, I hope to learn many things. Actually, everything and anything they
are offering to teach me, I want to learn. However, more specifically, I want to learn about
their culture, their history. How their ways differ from us and why. How different their
Chinese is from us, and also why. I would also like to learn about their delicacies, as after
all, food plays a very important role in the culture of the people. I would also like to learn
more about the Chinese language, my mother tongue, while I am there, as I feel that I
hardly know anything about it, be it its history, or even how to use it well, despite it being
my mother tongue. By learning more about it and its history, I feel that I will learn to love it
more, and also feel more motivation to do better in it.
2. The one incident I feel very strongly about is when I got sick and both Mrs Lee and our
tour guide Lily "stayed back" just to look after me. Late at night, when she could have been
sleeping, she chose to stay with me and watch me sleep and make sure I took my
medicine so my fever would go down. She was hoping I would recover by the next day as
our whole class would be climbing Mount Huangshan the next day and she hoped I would
be able to climb it as it would be something worth remembering. She stayed by my side,
taking my temperature every now and then, until my roommate came back after debrief,
which we all know would be very late at night. When my roommate came back, Lily told
her over and over again to get me to take my medication and sleep early.
The next day, sadly, I did not recover from my fever. So, I could not climb Mount
Huangshan. And even though I heard tour guide Lily say that she wanted to climb Mount
Huangshan, she was willing to stay back in the hotel with me and take care of me till I got
well. This touched me a lot,as she gave up something she really wanted to do, just to take
care of me. Mrs Lee also surprised me a lot . Before and during the first half of the trip, I
have always thought of her as a very fierce and scary person. But when I was sick, she
actually cared and worried a lot for me, she made sure I ate my medicine on time and got
enough rest. When I was sick, I saw a different side of Mrs Lee, the nicer side of Mrs Lee.
This taught me not to judge people that quickly, and also not to always listen to rumors.
One person that taught me more things than what a class could achieve, was my house
visit buddy. She taught me how to make my own dumplings. She brought me to the wet
market, and taught me how things work there. She showed me how a family worked in
China, how good their people relations among neighbors were. She taught me about her
daily life, the daily life of a Chinese Secondary School student, how that their lives, we're
not any easier than ours.
And I am pretty sure all these are not things a teacher would be able to teach us in a class
room. I mean sure they could talk and maybe they could tell us about it, but the learning
experience and the amount to knowledge we absorb in the classroom definitely would not
compare to the "hands-on" and "first hand" learning experience we got from going to visit
our China buddy.
One fact that I learnt which impacted me the most was the fact that the Chinese people
were actually very very friendly. Before the trip, I had always thought that they would be
very cold and competitive people, who only cared about studies, but when I got to the
Secondary School there(Shou Cun Secondary School), my impression of them and the
actual them, proved to be worlds apart. The moment I stepped into their class, they
welcomed me with open arms. They brought me to sit with them and they all introduced
themselves with a smile on their faces. And when I did not understand what was
happening during class, my table-mate would try to explain what was happening to me, in
English, even though it was difficult for her. All in all, the people, the students, the
teachers,etc, were very nice and open and kind.
This fact impacted me a lot as it once again showed me not to judge others so quickly
based on rumors and to expect the unexpected.
3. This trip affects me in a way that it makes me take my time to judge people. Often, I
hear rumors about a certain someone, thus forming an impression of that someone in my
head before I even meet him or her. I also tend to judge others very quickly, like the
moment I meet the person, a first impression forms and that impression usually stays that
way and is very difficult to change. This may be a problem as I will end up having a certain
impression of a person and thus treat him or her a certain way, when he or she may not
deserve it as I do not even know him or her that well to be certain of their personality.
However, during this trip, two of my initial judgements of people were deemed wrong, and
their actual selfs were worlds apart, and definitely, much better than my initial impressions
of them. Thus, I have decided, that in future, I will only judge others, once I get to know
them and only when I know them well will I judge them.
Some long term changes that I hope would take place are definitely:
1. To be more independent. Here in Singapore, I am over reliant on my mother. Every
little problem that arises, I would call for her to help me solve it. Every time I need help,
I would call her. Here in China, I would be without my mother for 8 days. I really hope
to become more independent here, and maybe learn how deal with little problems such
a creased clothes or missing clothes on my own, and maybe even learn how to cook
and boil water.
2. To speak and use more fluent Chinese and have a wide vocabulary in Chinese.
Despite being Chinese and having grandparents who only speak and understand
Chinese at home, my Chinese, sad to say, definitely is not the best. Thus I hope that
by coming to China and staying here for 8 days, my command of Chinese would
improve ten fold and stay that way.
3. I hope I will become happier. Before this trip, I have been very stressed out, be it about
academics or maybe my co-curriculum activity. By going on this trip, I hope to de-
stress and become a happier person. And I hope to stay a happy person for a very
long time.
I feel that the bicycle attempt in China that we learnt about in China is something we
should bring back to try in Singapore. To reduce pollution, the China government opened
bicycle renting places all over China, making it easy for her people to rent and return the
bicycles. The fact that is was easily accessible and very convenient made people more
open and willing to take bikes instead of cars. We should also do this is Singapore. It suits
Singapore's situation as:
1. We are trying to reduce the amount of cars on the road.
2. Singapore is a small country and riding bicycles around instead of cars would not
actually be that tiring.
We students should also learn from the Chinese students learning attitude. They find that
they are very lucky as compared to many others in their country who do not have the same
opportunity to learn, and thus enjoy learning much more and are willing to go to school,
and in fact enjoy doing so, even though they have long learning hours every day. We
should adopt this enthusiastic learning attitude in Singapore and learn as much as we can,
so that we can contribute back to society in the future, as we, Singaporeans, are
Singapore's only natural resource
Singapore Youth Culture vs China Youth Culture
I feel that our generation, the youths, is a very crazy, and one which is very high in spirit. Thus the concerts, colour runs, cosplay, etc. We also like to spend time with our friends, be it shopping or just simply watching a movie. After that, we will always take a selfie to update our social media, as after all , we are the well known ‘低头族’ ，the ones who can never get off our phones(probably because we are stalking our idols...)
I am not very sure about the youth culture in China, thus there are much less photos in this montage. However, call it a stereotype or whatsoever, but from my point of view, I feel that they are a very traditional bunch of people thus the ethnic costumes. I also feel that they are a very festive bunch.
What I d know however, is that the like to shop and eat good food, just like me(us).
Folk
The folk in Hefei, AnHui, like to play the Fenyang Flower Drum as a source of entertainment, and also to ceebrate special occasions.
The culture of playing the Fengyang Flower Drum formed during theMing Dynasty(1368-1644), mingles with sorrow and sadness. At that time, plagued by floods and droughts, many people were forced to leave their homes and went out begging, usually in pairs: one to beat the drum and the other to beat the gong, while both of them sang together. Most performers then were husband and wife, or sisters-in-law. That was the earliest form of Fengyang Flower Drum. During the performance, the two sang together while sitting on a bench and beat gongs and drums without the accompaniment of thread or string instruments.
Nowadays however, people no longer sing of sorrowful things, but sing to tell of love stories and new lives, while absorbing modern artistic elements. This gives the Fengyang Flower Drum a unique local flavour to AnHui, thus making it a hit, also because it reminds the people of their roots.
Do You Think The Merlion would make the Best National Icon for Singapore?
What is the purpose of a national icon? It is to create an iconic view of the people of the nations' values, goals or history. Does the merlion make the best national icon for Singapore? In my opinion, it is a no. Surely, it is a plays a very big role in showing our history to others, for example, telling others how we got our name as Singapura, the lion city, thus the lion head. Its fish tail is also a representation of Singapore's humble beginnings as a fishing village. But, that is where it ends.
Nowadays, I feel that the main purpose the merlion serves as a national icon is to attract tourists. In fact, it has increased Singapore's number of tourists from a mere 100,000 to a whooping 10 million, maybe even more now.
And if you ask the tourists, the reason why they are here to take a photo with the merlion is not because of it being a very creative an innovative structure, or because it is a historical monument, in fact most of them do not even know how the merlion came about. They come to take a photo with the merlion because it is the cool thing to do.
Thus I feel that the merlion does not make the best national icon.
In fact I feel that are many other icons that better represent Singapore, one of them is none other than our SG50 icon.
This is because even though we are only a little red dot, we are the little red dot. Despite our small size, we dream big. And we have achieved those big dreams, growing far beyond our size, resources and others' expectations of us. The SG50 logo represents our resilience, sense of identity, and of course of Singapore spirit. It also serves as a reminder of how far we have come, from a little belittled 3rd world country, to a thriving first world country, and reminds us to continue to keep it this way. This logo also shows how when, us, small little red dots, come together, we are one big red dot, and we can achieve great things.
Thus I feel that the SG50 logo makes a better icon of Singapore, as it shows our values, dreams and our history.
Remembering Lee Kuan Yew
The Tang Dynasty was the "Golden Age' of China. Why was that so? The Tang was under great leadership and rule, bringing it great wealth(trade), making it the most populous as well as sophisticated civilization.
Present Singapore can also be said to be experiencing its "Golden Age". Singapore is one of the 'richest' countries in the world, ranking second in the world in terms of net international investment position per capita. Singapore also has one of the busiest ports in the world.
Healthcare in Singapore is also top notch, with the best healthcare in Asia, and sixth in the world. Our healthcare services has brought royalties,etc. from other countries all the way to Singapore.
We also have the third best education in the world.
Our clean and green environment has earned Singapore the title of 'The City in a Garden', attracting many tourists and immigrants to Singapore.
However, all this would not be possible without the great leadership and guidance of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. For it was he who had all the great dreams for Singapore, and it was also him who made them come true. It was also him who trusted in us Singaporeans, who invested his whole life into Singapore. It was him who changed Singapore for the better, who made Singapore, a small fishing village, a thirld world, into a prospering city, a metropolis, a first world Singapore. It was him who made Singapore what it is today.
China's Economic Growth
China's economy has been growing as the years go by, as can be seen in the photo below.
It has even overtook Japan and is now in second place(after America) in terms of economy.
One of the reasons is probably because of China's new Open Door Policy.The policy proposed to keep China open to trade with all countries on an equal basis; thus, no international power would have total control of the country.
Hopefully, this will help increase Singapore's business trade with China, and in addition, help to develop and strengthen Singapore's economy even more, as Singapore's ranking in the world in terms of economy is not the best, in fact, we are lacking quite far behind, due to the fact that we do not have a lot of natural resources.
Luckily, people also calculate how well we are doing in terms of income per capita. And I would say we are doing quite well in that area.
One Child Policy
In China, there was a strict one child policy(parents could only give birth to one child).
Nowadays, Singapore's birth rate is also starting to decline. Parents are starting to give birth to only one child.
Some say it is because they want to develop their child to their full potential, others because they do not have enough time to care for more than one child. However, I feel that that should not be the case. Because, in the future, there will be a lot of pressure put on that one child.(refer to photo below)
Some say it is because they want to develop their child to their full potential, others because they do not have enough time to care for more than one child. However, I feel that that should not be the case. Because, in the future, there will be a lot of pressure put on that one child.(refer to photo below)
Especially with Singapore's aging popularity. Soon, there might be more elderly than strong, healthy and able individuals. The next generation maybe a very small one, and we might have to rely more and more on man force from neighbouring coutries.
December Holidays
I did a lot of things during the December Holidays. Those things manly consisted of doing homework and going out. I didn't get to really go 'overseas' as there was a landslide at the place my family wanted to visit. Instead, we went to Johor Bahru. So in a way you can say I went over a sea???
ok anyways here are a few photos I took in Johor!!
ANGRY BIRD LAND:
DC cafe:
Aunt's House in JB!!
I spent the rest of my holidays(as stated above) going out&doing homework hahah
Here are some photos!!:-)
out w victoria! :-)
Class outing!!
a little collage of that day
back view of 2F;-)
class photo yay
we spent 150 dollars on this hahahhah
New Year's Eve!!
light show in sentosa 4D adventure land
jia qian hohohoh
after promos heheh
luge with mon aung!!
mx's old house (with jingyi, mx herself, wyeyee, mon aung&me!!)
Xmas Eve with wyeyeeee:-)
City w Mingxuan!!
lunch@waraku
But of all the things I did during the holidays, it was this one(??) thing that left the biggest impact on me : helping at my grandfather's stall.
I went there every once a week, there I helped to wash the cups and dishes and serve the drinks and food, while grandpa, well obviously, made the drinks and food haha
Even though I only went there for a few weeks, I learnt a lot of things. For one, us students really lead a easy life! I mean all we have to do is, well, study!
We do not have to worry about making ends meet(or in my grandfather's case paying rent), satisfying people's needs,etc.
For example, when I was working at my grandfather's stall, I realised that speed was one of the many things one needs. You also have to have a very good memory as customers do not like it when they have to repeat their orders, and also because some customers have really special orders( less ice, more sugar, bread only with butter,etc.) and you dO NOT want to get their orders wrong.
After working there, I have learnt that running a drink stall isn't a very easy thing to do. I have also learnt to be more patient with the coffee uncle as I understand the stress he goes through.
And yes, I have also learnt to treasure my current student life.
this is a photo from a few years ago as I don't have a recent photo oops
Poverty in Singapore
In this week's CID lesson, we learned about poverty. Our teacher showed us two pictures of beggars on the street and told us their stories. That day, I realised how lucky I was. I had clothes to wear, a roof to stay under and 3 meals a day.
That can not be said of some others, even is Singapore, which is supposedly the 3rd most developed country, has 26% of her people living in poverty.
I feel that the government should really take this 'poverty' problem into consideration as even though SG is getting richer and richer, the poor only get poorer and you can see the rate of people living in poverty rise over the years.
You can see people selling tissue paper, collecting tin cans, playing instruments on the street everyday. You can also see people sleeping n benches with nothing else but newspaper to keep them warm every night, just to say transportation fare.
One Child Policy
In China, there was a strict one child policy(parents could only give birth to one child).
One Child Policy
In China, there was a strict one child policy(parents could only give birth to one child).
Nowadays, Singapore's birth rate is also starting to decline. Parents are starting to give birth to only one child.
Some say it is because they want to develop their child to their full potential, others because they do not have enough time to care for more than one child. However, I feel that that should not be the case. Because, in the future, there will be a lot of pressure put on that one child.(refer to photo below)
Some say it is because they want to develop their child to their full potential, others because they do not have enough time to care for more than one child. However, I feel that that should not be the case. Because, in the future, there will be a lot of pressure put on that one child.(refer to photo below)
Especially with Singapore's aging popularity. Soon, there might be more elderly than strong, healthy and able individuals. The next generation maybe a very small one, and we might have to rely more and more on man force from neighbouring coutries.
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