Individual Days reflection
Day 1: AIRPORT AND SONG DYNASTY CITY (culture+history)
When we went to the Song Dynasty City, I noticed that the houses were all made of wood and there were many trees, this meant that it was very easy for a fire to be started and that the technology was not very advanced in that era. ( 1000AD ). That period also seemed to be a time where the people were living quite comfortably as the city looked prosperous and the buildings looked grand. From this we were able to learn more about the history and culture of China, specifically Hangzhou, in the Song Dynasty. The theme park was also unique as it was not like a typical Universal Studios theme park or disneyland. It achieved 2 purposes, integrating the cultural and historical aspects of the country into a business. I think that Singapore can learn from this idea and try to make some changes to ordinary theme parks and make them more interesting, allowing tourists to learn about our country while having fun.
saying goodbye to my parents at the airport
less developed areas
urbanized areas
lanterns at Song Dynasty City
walking in the Song Dynasty City
performance
Day 2: WAHAHA FACTORY VISIT (economy) AND TEA MUSEUM AND PLANTATION VISIT (culture)
Before we visited the Wahaha factory, we read some articles about the company which made us realise that the company had many achievements. It is China's leading domestic beverage producer, it has 70 subsidiary companies and 40 manufacturing bases scattered throughout China, its sales networks covers every county in China and it acquired a large 30 year old state owned enterprise, The Hangzhou Canned Food Product Co. We were given the chance to learn more about the company and its " secrets for success "when we went to the company. There, we were shocked to learn that the company had actually met with numerous challenges while growing the Wahaha Company. There was the SARS outbreak, energy supply shortages, raw material price increase in 2003 and the company was seen as a small and incapable company. The company however, had many tactics to deal with the challenges. They began carefully expanding beyond the mainland, they produced their own bottle caps to lower the manufacturing prices, they chose specific regions to target for each product and they used special methods to advertise and market their products. I think that what contributed to the company's success was that they knew how to take advantage of situations to to sell their products. For example, they knew that there were many children who were picky eaters and that the parents were very worried for their children, so they started to have the new product which was their nutritional drink. Also, when the milk powder in China had some problems, they created a new brand of milk powder for infants. The Wahaha company also managed their talent very well. There were different levels and the higher levels would have higher pay and better benefits etc. Therefore, many people wanted to improve their " levels ", but to do so, they must satisfy a list of conditions. This way of managing talents ensures that the employees will put in more effort and this also ensures that only the most capable and most talented people hold key positions. Lastly, the company was very innovative and often had new breakthroughs. They constantly did scientific research to come up with new product and better equipment to improve the efficiency of manufacturing of products. Their products were also very special and always new so it attracted many customers.
drink sampling !!!
outside the Wahaha company
poster inside the factory to motivate the people working in the factory
drink making process
labeling the bottles
At the Xieyuda tea plantation, we were shown how the tea plants were grown, how to keep the pests away and how to pick the tea leaves. I think that the way they protected the plants from pests was very interesting. I saw many yellow boards sticking out and later on the guide told us that it was a sticky board to trap the insects so that they would not harm the plants. Afterwards, we went to the Xieyuda tea museum. We learnt more about the company and we were brought to a room to try some of their tea. We tried green tea, chrysanthemum tea and red tea. They told us the various medical benefits of the different types of tea and how the tea was made. Tea is very important in the lives of the Chinese as they drink it like how we drink water. The quality of tea is important and it is frequently drunk by them.
tea plantation
a statue there
a tea leaf that I picked
outside the museum
making tea
sampling tea
pouring chrysanthemum tea
Day 3: TUNXI INK FACTORY, CHENGDAWEI ABACUS MUSEUM,(culture+history) TUNXI ANCIENT STREET(culture+economy) AND HONGCUN AND XIDI ANCIENT VILLAGES(culture and history)
We first went to the Chengdawei ancient museum. The guide there first told us that in the Huangshan area, there were many mountains and little plantations and fertile soil. Thus, the people were mostly traders and had to go to other parts of china to trade for food. As a result, the people near Huangshan often had to calculate money. The calculating method in the past was very complicated and difficult to grasp, Cheng Da Wei was gifted in mathematics and came up with the abacus, which was a much simpler method of calculation and so he was known as a very important person that contributed greatly to the livelihoods of the people. He was deeply respected, even by the Japanese.
walking to the abacus museum
chengdawei abacus museum entrance
different kinds of abacus
inside the museum
Afterwards, we went to the ink factory. The factory was located high up and we had to climb many flights of stairs to be able to see the manufacturing process. Firstly, black soot was collected for the black ink. Then, they were all made into ink sticks by hammering and kneading and also the placing of the ink into the moulds. The extra decoration was first carved and then carefully painted with gold paint by hand. The process can take very long, especially the drying part which can take up to a year. i think that the similarity between the tunxi ink factory and the chengdawei abacus museum is that both places have a significance and a purpose. The things shown are also organised in a certain way to be shown to visitors. The items shown also have a certain value.
tunxi ink factory
a statue in the factory
the soot collecting stage of the ink stick making process
hitting the ink thingy
placing it into the mould
walking up the stairs to other parts of the factory
painting the dried ink sticks
painted ink sticks
their supplies used to paint the ink sticks
carving words
celine trying out the ink
We went to the Tunxi Ancient Street next and we saw many different traditional crafts and snacks etc. I think that one diminishing trade would be the making of the 烧饼. It tasted quite different from food i ate in Singapore as it is quite sweet. I also found the method of making the 烧饼 very special as it is made freshly on a old machine thing and then it is placed into a giant " barrel ". I think that Singapore also has diminishing trades and we can use different methods to preserve these. For example, we can package the traditional food into products that can be sold at supermarkets or stores. We can also create festivals at certain ancient streets for the people to go and try out the traditional trades, food or crafts. They can also take the chance to learn more about traditional life etc. While walking along the street, i also noticed the shop owners methods of showing us their products. For example, when the shop owner was selling a musical instrument, he would play a song for everyone to hear. Even though he did not know how to speak English, he attracted many customers. I also realised that minimal Chinese was used on the signboards. Instead, the shop owners used more symbols and pictures that could be understood universally. This could cater to the tourists needs if they could not speak or understand Chinese.
tunxi ancient street
in the street
烧饼
end of the street
Later on, we went to the Xidi and Hongcun ancient villages. Both villages were very beautiful and reflected the history of China, however, i think that the most important thing was how the people actually came up with interesting methods to get water and prevent contamination. Also, almost everything they did had a meaning behind it, including the placement of decorations and couplets. The layout of Hongcun resembles the shape of an Ox and is crisscrossed by a complex network of water canals feeding into the central half-moon pond and southern lake. The lake is the village's source of water and to prevent contamination, they have a fixed time to put in all their dirty clothes and things that have to be washed. The lake is also separated into a bigger part and a smaller part which makes it look like a bow, with an arrow in the centre. One of the parts is the dirty and contaminated part while the other part is the clean part. While we were brought to the different parts of the villages, we realised that it was common for the locals to place a vase and a mirror on a table with a clock in the centre. This symbolised peace and harmony within the household. The central half moon pond was special as it was intentionally built to not be a circle. This is to remind others that not everything needs to be perfect all the time. Xidi village was famous for its carvings on wood, stones and bricks. When we entered the first house, we realised that there was the same layout with the mirror, clock and vase. They also used different carvings to differentiate the position of the person living in the house. For example, a lion would mean that the person was a official. Houses also had a large gap above known as the 天井. When it rained, the water would flow into the house and seep through the tiles to go underground which will lead to a water body. This was supposed to symbolise the flow of money into the house. One important thing i saw was the word "孝" . From far, the word would look like an ordinary word, however, if you looked carefully. The picture can look like a monkey preparing to throw a punch at someone or a human that can look up proudly. I think this means to say that if you do not treat your parents well, you are the monkey. If you treat your parents well, you are a human that can be proud of yourself.
outside Xidi ancient village
in the village
lion in the house which means the owner of this house was an official
couplets
walking in the village
天井
traditional placement of furniture which signifies peace
a well
old post office
孝 that looks like a painting ( with special meaning )
the fan they used in the past
the air conditioner in the past
another picture of the furniture that symbolizes peace
onions on the ground
outside Hongcun ancient village
the view of the village
artists' paintings
ducks outside the village
climbing up the bridge to the village
lake outside the village
clothes hung outside a house
a school
the " drain " they have
half moon pond in the centre of the village
Day 4: HUANGSHAN(environment/agriculture/geography)
We first took a bus and a cable car up the mountain to the centre. When we got out of the cable car, it was extremely foggy and cold. There were many tourists preparing to climb up the mountain and it felt like it was going to rain. We also had to observe different objects or phenomena. I observed that :
- there were many green ferns (pteridophytes) of different sizes growing everywhere
- the stairs were steep, slippery and full of moss (bryophytes)
- it was very foggy, the air felt very moist and visibility was limited to approximately 50m and below
- there was little sunlight as it was quite dark when we were climbing the mountain and the temperature felt quite low. ( recorded temperature was approximately 14°C )
- the wind was very strong and i could feel it brush against my skin
- the voices were mostly of tour guides speaking and people talking in different dialects/chinese loudly. There were children laughing too.
- the cable cars were fast moving and i was afraid to get on it at first because i thought it was unsafe. However, i survived it so it seems quite safe. We had to quickly get on and off the cable car as it does not stop for you. I was worried as it felt like a roller coaster. I noticed something very special in the cable car station, there was a tree in the centre of the station at a random place, but unlike in other buildings, it wasn't cut down or moved. I think that we can learn from their methods of taking care of the environment and not harming it unnecessarily. Even though they used Huangshan as a tourism sight, they did not forget about preserving it.
- the people climbing the mountain are mostly elderly and they were using walking sticks. They seem to be very strong physically.
- the dustbins were made from rocks.
After visiting the mountain, I think that tourism helps to preserve Huangshan. This is because, if Huangshan was not a popular tourist site, it might not be that important and worth preserving. Therefore, if it is a tourist sight, it will more likely be preserved. This is also a way to earn money for the country because tourists have to pay money to take cable cars and for food. On the other hand, the money collected may be used for other purposes and the litter that tourists contribute may destroy the mountain.
staircases
giant lingzhi
tree
climbing the steep part
our group jump shot
the foggy sky
Day 5: VISIT TO MEILING COMPANY,(economy) SCHOOL EXCHANGE PROGRAMME,(education)
The main aim for us when we went to Meiling electronics company was to learn about the strategies that the company used. Meiling company let other well-known brands buy their products and sell them to customers using the well-known brand's name. They also made their products appeal to others by making constant changes and releasing newer products with better features. Lastly, they marketed their brand as the one for china so it would attract the people of their country. They did all the above as they would be able to earn more money from selling items out of china in the name of well-known brands and the new changes made would attract customers. Comparing Hefei and Singapore as an attractive place for businesses to set up their operations in, i think Singapore is not very attractive. In Singapore, there is not much space, and the tax rate is higher. I think that if we want to attract more people, we can tell them that we have many foreign workers and we could try to increase the space allocated for these businesses. We can also give them more benefits etc.
outside the company
the first model fridge
fridge with a TV screen
interactive screen
inside the factory
Afterwards, we headed to 寿春中学 where we had the school exchange programme. When we arrived at the school, they brought us up to a classroom and welcomed us. There were students from class 25 there and i met my buddy. Later, we went into their classroom for lessons, the lesson they were having at that time was physics lesson. I noticed some things when i was in their classroom, they used blackboards and chalk instead of the whiteboards we use at our school. The students are also very friendly and kept asking me if i understood what the teacher was saying or if i needed help, I also think that the things they learn may be more difficult or different from ours. This is because their physics lesson was very difficult. Another difference i have spotted is that, in the china classrooms, the teachers tend to only spend the lesson explaining about what they are supposed to learn and not really giving them questions to try out. The students are also very attentive and respectful towards their teachers. After that lesson, we went back to the first classroom before going down to their track for the competition they were having. When we were downstairs, the students were holding onto their textbooks and they told us to place it on the floor and sit on the book. I was quite shocked as i did not want the book to be dirty, but she in said that the floor was dirty so i sat on it. From this, i can tell that the students are really very caring and thoughtful. They thought for others and did not mind getting their textbook dirty. The school first gave us another warm welcome and they began with their competition. After listening to a few of their performances, i realised that all their performances showed that they were proud of their country, china and that they loved their country. I felt very touched by this as their country seemed so united and strong. In the middle of the competition, our class had to perform the dances and songs we had prepared. We were all extremely nervous and were afraid to make some mistakes as we did not practice a lot. After our Malay dance, Indian dance, European dance, and the other half of the competition, our entire class went up on stage to sing the songs we prepared and Aud Lang Syne. Even though there was some issues with the music and microphone and our performance was not very in sync, i felt proud of my class. I never expected our class to be so cooperative and put in so much effort to practice the dances and songs even after the tiring days, however, our class really did that and i feel happy for that. Furthermore, the ICs that helped us improve and taught us everything did not really blame us or scold us even when we made mistakes in the actual performance. I know that they have put in ten times the effort we have put it, but they did not complain at all. I am sure even though our performance was not the most perfect one, our class will still be proud of the ICs and each other.
a lesson in a classroom
a Singapore drawing done by them on their wall in school
Day 6: HALF DAY SCHOOL IMMERSION PROGRAMME(education)AND VISIT TO LARGEST SUPERMARKET(economy)
In the morning, we went into their classroom for lessons, at that time, it was a Chinese lesson. During the lesson, i struggled to understand what the teacher was saying as it was quite difficult. However, the teacher allowed the students to explain the passage to me and they did so very patiently. I did not understand it the first few times but they continued to explain to me without being annoyed. This lesson was also one of the more memorable ones because the other students made me read the passage aloud in class. Even though it was quite scary, i felt quite good about myself after the lesson because i actually learnt some Chinese from them. Between lessons, they had a 10 minute break and i went to the toilet. The toilets there are quite different from those in Singapore because they did not have doors. At first a few of my classmates did not dare to use the toilet so they held it in till the end of the day. The toilets also only had one basin and the flush was connected to save water. The form teacher and chairperson of the class also gave us some gifts. After that, the group leader of the group i was in gave me a book and a bag of food. I felt very awkward because the gift i prepared was nothing compared to the ones they gave me, however when i gave them the gifts, they did not laugh at me or said they did not like it so it was still okay in the end. After the break, they had biology lessons which was at the lab. That day, they were testing the strength of vitamin C of different drinks, so they brought a few bottled drink and added a solution to test the strength of the vitamin. During the experiment they started drinking the drinks from the beakers and i was very shocked because in Singapore, we were not allowed to drink any drinks or even bring any drinks into the lab. After this, we had a lesson on Chinese painting. The lesson was quite interesting and it was fun because we learnt a bit of Chinese painting in school at Singapore. While i was painting, i felt that it was very ugly but the students there told me it was nice and taught me how to make it look better. At the end of the lesson, the teacher told me my painting was nice and i felt encouraged. After the painting lesson, we went to the canteen area to make dumplings. It was raining so the students were each holding onto umbrellas and bringing us to the canteen. They were really very nice to us. When we were there, we were taught to make dumplings but I was very bad at making them and ended up with rice spilling everywhere. Even the parent who was teaching me gave up on teaching me. By the end of the session, I only made one dumpling and it looked very ugly. After the dumpling making session, we had lunch. The food was served in metal plates with different compartments and i felt that it was really cool because in Singapore we did not have such plates. After eating, we went to the classroom to learn about the food and wine culture in China. There was a teacher there to explain the famous food and they told us about the different kinds of wine. They even gave us wine to try afterwards. After the lesson, we went to the various class rooms for lessons. The class i was in was having math lesson at that time and they were learning geometry. I was quite happy when i found out they were learning geometry because it was the only thing i had learnt so far and so i could understand the questions. Each of the students had their own cut out of the geometrical shapes and they were nice enough to cut one for me. One of the students even lent me his textbook and explained the Chinese to me. I think that i should learn from their initiative and their thoughtfulness. When the math lesson ended, i exchanged gifts with my buddy i met from the QQ app and we talked for a while, I then went for the last activity planned for the day, which was the sports meet. I did not join any of the competitions because i was not very good at sports but i learned some volleyball which was quite fun. The students there were very patient in teaching me how to play the sport. Even though i was a slow learner and i did not really understand what they said, she continued to encourage me and told me i was doing well. After playing a game of volleyball with my other friends and her, she noticed my hands were bruised so she told me about herself when she just started playing volleyball. She also told me how to let the bruises heal more quickly. It was very fun learning to play volleyball and time flew by quickly. Soon, we had to say goodbye to all our buddies and friends that we met. While we were leaving the school, i noticed that the students were cleaning their own classrooms without the prompting of teachers. I also suddenly remembered that i did not see many cleaners in the school so the school should have been cleaned up by the students themselves. I feel that we should learn from them and try our best to keep the school clean, we should also cherish the cleaners and facilities more.
learning Chinese painting
dumpling making lesson
face mask coloring
After the school visit, we went to the largest supermarket in Hefei to do our market research. We went to the lotus supermarket and my group was assigned to find out the prices of a fresh whole chicken, 1 litre of cooking oil, milk tea or yoghurt drink and vitamins. The price of one fresh whole chicken is ¥30.66 and the chicken weighs 1.518kg. We were unable to find any 1 litre cooking oil. The yoghurt drink we found was ¥5.60 for a bottle of 340ml, aloe vera flavoured drink, ¥5.60 for a bottle of 340ml, orange flavoured drink, ¥5.50 for a bottle of 340ml, normal flavoured drink and ¥6.50 for a bottle of 340ml, less sugar drink. Vitamin brand A weighs 19.5g with 30 pellets costs ¥19.80, vitamin brand me weighs 60g and costs ¥258.
Day 7: BUDDY HOUSE VISIT,(culture) BOOKSTORE VISIT, AND LEARNING FENGYANG DRUMS AND HUANGMEI OPERA AT ANHUI UNIVERSITY OF ARTS(culture+history)
In the morning, we headed to the school to meet our assigned house buddy. Our buddy was called Jiaying and she was very friendly to us. First, she brought us to 李府 which was Li Hong Zhang's house which is now a museum. Afterwards, she brought us to 包公祠 which was where 包拯 was buried. While we were walking out of the park, there was a river with willow trees and calligraphy done in water on the concrete ground. i felt that it was very pretty. She then brought us to her house. Her house was very big and there was a garden outside her house with a koi pond, a water wheel, a swing and fruit trees. She picked some fruits, allowed us to feed the fishes and brought us to her greenhouse upstairs. When we went inside the house, we started to prepare the food we wanted to cook for them. Shuang Ching and I began making some bah kut teh and chicken rice while Yue San made some white coffee. Before having lunch, Yuesan and our buddy played the piano for us. Afterwards, her mother brought out some food and fruits for us to eat and our buddy played a movie for us. Soon, our food was ready and the food they prepared was cooked so we had lunch. It was quite awkward and we had to eat rice without a spoon which was quite difficult, however, our buddy's parents were very nice and gave us a spoon when they realised we did not know how to use chopsticks well. Before going to their house, i thought that they would be very formal with their parents and it would be very awkward, they would live in house that were very old and small, their food will not be very nice and that they would not really want to talk to me, but after interacting with them, i realised that my buddy treated her parents like friends, it was quite fun, their houses were big and beautifully furnished and their food was very delicious. After lunch, it was time for us to go back to the school and even though it was sad, we had to say goodbye to our buddy and her parents. Before we left, she gave us a necklace each in a drawstring bag and we gave her our tote bag with food that we prepared. Afterwards, we said goodbye and we went to the Anhui University of the arts.
outside 李府
in the museum
picture outside 李府
photo outside 包公祠
walking next to the river
inside the park
Willow trees next to the park
the ground there
photo at the park
giant book
calligraphy done in water
walking to our buddy's house
her family enjoying our white coffee
shuangching cooking
cooking
yuesan making white coffee
their garden
a swing in their garden
fruits on a tree
fish pond
feeding the fishes
in the greenhouse
yuesan playing the piano
jiaying playing the piano
snacks they prepared for us
lunch time
picture before we left the school
When we reached the university, we watched some Huangmei opera performed by the students there and we were shocked to realise that the students performing were of the same age as us, 14. They seemed very experience and professional so we did not expect them to be 14. After performing for a while, they separated the boys and girls and taught us different actions and steps. When the time was up, we went to another part of the school for the Fengyang drums lesson. After learning about these traditional arts in China, we were asked to think about similar arts in Singapore that may be forgotten e.g. Chinese opera and how to promote it to youths. I think that we can start courses about it, make it a part of students curriculum, conduct competitions on it, provide free performances at schools, conduct Q&A sessions with famous Chinese opera singers, start a Chinese opera CCA in schools, create TV shows about Chinese Opera.
outside the university
the opera performance
learning the basics of Huangmei opera
fengyang drum lesson
Day 8: TRANSFER TO HANGZHOU VIA HIGH SPEED RAIL,(transport) LUNCH AT HAIDILAO STEAMBOAT RESTAURANT,(economy)AND RETURN TO SINGAPORE
Today was the last day of our trip so we went to the train station to take the train to Hangzhou and go back to Singapore. We went on board the train and when it started moving, I realised it was moving very quickly, ( 205km/h according to a board on the train ). It was also quite scary because we had to get off the train within 2-3 minutes as the train would not wait for long.
the train
our train ticket
After we got off the train, we had lunch at Haidilao steamboat restaurant. The waiters in the restaurant were very friendly and helpful. When we first arrived at the restaurant, they welcomed us with warm smiles. When we were at our seats, they gave us a cloth to cover our bags, scooped out the oil from the soup, gave us wet wipes to clean our spectacles and talked to us. While we were eating, i was very clumsy and dropped the ladle into the pot many times but she did not seem angry at all, she just gave me a new ladle and said it was alright. They also turned on music and made noodles for us while we were eating. There was also a children's day celebration that day as it was children's day the following day so they brought the children to the room we were in and asked if we wanted to join them. I think that the reason why their service was so good was because they loved their job and their company. Their company must be very nice to their employees and so they are proud of their job and enjoy working. As we were leaving the restaurant, they gave each of us a cup containing food.
eating with the best people :)
the hot pot soup
After this, we went to the airport and went back to Singapore. I felt quite sad to leave China and end this OELP trip but i feel that i have learnt a lot over these 8 days. I will try to put things i have learnt to good use and be a better person.
photo at the airport
Reflection that was submitted
1. I chose to go on this trip as I wanted to prove to both my parents and myself that I could be independent and be trusted by them. I also hoped to be able to bond more with the class as this was the only and most likely the last trip we would have overseas together as class 2F. I also wanted broaden my horizon and to learn more about the culture of China, the economy and the lifestyle of the people there, and to learn to embrace other forms of culture and ways of life. I also took this trip as an opportunity to practice my Chinese language as I am not very fluent in it. When I chose to go on this trip, I had to make many decisions for example,I did not know if I was actually brave enough to take the airplane myself and to climb Mt. Huangshan without my parents. If I would be tactful enough and not offend the people in China without knowing so myself. I was very worried about the trip and thought that I would get into some sort of trouble there. Even my parents told me they doubted my abilities to take care of myself which made me feel more apprehensive about going on this trip. Eventually, I had to decide between trusting myself and enduring the trip even if i ended up hating it or to listen to my parents and not going for the trip like they asked me to. Ultimately, I chose to go for this trip after one of the China students from the exchange school that came to Singapore the year before and was friends with me told me she was excitedly awaiting my arrival in China. I did not want to disappoint her so I chose to go for this trip and attempted to prove my parents wrong. When I first went for the trip, I did not have a clear goal or a specific list of things that I wanted to learn or hoped to learn. Mainly, I just wanted to learn about the culture of China and what was stated in our CID lessons. However as I proceeded on with the trip, I gradually learned things that I did not expect myself to be able to learn, In my opinion, these were more valuable than what I actually wanted to learn and were more useful and applicable to my life. At the beginning, I was very very shallow and simply wanted to know if the rumors spread by the seniors and classmates were true. For example, I wanted to know if he toilets were really unsanitary and had no doors and if the Chinese were really loud and rude. Throughout the trip, I thought more deeply about other things that I could learn from, like how I could compare China to Singapore. I realized the difference in our education system and also the major difference in culture. Even in China, we could compare the rural villages like Hongcun to the major cities near Hangzhou. It was when I noticed all this small details that I learnt the most important knowledge.
2. One situation that I feel strongly about was when I went to the house visit to our China buddy's home. Firstly, they did not bring us to their house immediately. Instead, they brought us to some museums and parks. Even though they told me many things about how the people led their lives in the past and more about the history of China and the darkest moments when China was colonized by the Japanese, the knowledge learnt through these were only secondary. The most important segment about the home visit was when she talked to us and answered our questions. I still remember myself telling her how China was litter free, and how the people led prosperous lives, improving together as one. I remembered feeling envy for her family and country, about how China could progress together without leaving anyone behind. However her reply to this statement made me change my outlook towards China completely. She told me that honestly, what I had seen was only the main roads of the urbanized cities in China. The smaller alleys and roads in very rural areas were very dangerous and dirty. She told me that the smell was very bad and the places had many dangerous,poor people that committed all sorts of crimes. They committed crimes not because they wanted to, but because they were poor and could not survive and feed their families if they did not commit theft and robbery. She said it was so dangerous that even she, herself does not dare to wander off too far away from the main roads. I felt really shocked when I heard this from her, In Singapore, the heavily built up and urbanized country, i had rarely seen such incidents like theft in small roads. I grew up in a family with everything I could ask for and I never really had to worry about not having food on the table or not having enough education. This trip only showed us the " pretty " side of China but neglected the real side. One person that has taught me more than what could be achieved was a beggar begging for some money near the end of the Tunxi ancient road. This was most likely the closest experience to actual poverty in China I had seen. The beggar was simply begging for some money for food but the other passerbys spit on him and tried to make him go away like he was a pest. I felt extremely sad for the beggar then but i did not offer any help. Only after my buddy told me about the actual living conditions the poor had to face that I understood how tough the lives of the beggars would have been. She told me that in China, most people were very competitive as the population was large. Therefore, only a small percentage of people would be able to make it into good universities and get good jobs. As a result, the government is unable to provide for all the citizens and to ensure that all of them are not lagging behind. I understand that it is difficult for the government but I also feel very sad for the people lagging behind the society. I feel that the society should try to render help and support those who need help. In conclusion, the one fact that impacted the most was the government and the society's inability to ensure all the poorer and suffering people were living well.
3. I think that through this trip, I have learnt countless new things that changed my character. Firstly, I will try to be more content with what I have in life and not be greedy or want more than needed. The Chinese students there could study with just books, a blackboard and a table. However, in our school in Singapore, we have many facilities like projectors, iPads, libraries etc. We don't cherish the facilities we have and do not work as hard as the Chinese students do. In future, I will try to have a better learning attitude and cherish the things I have more. The students in China also clean the toilets and classrooms after school themselves without any prompting from the teachers. This is very different from Singapore as we mostly rely on cleaners to help us clean up our mess after school. We do not really notice or think about why the school becomes cleaner the next day but simply take the clean environment for granted. The students in China are very responsible and take effort to ensure the cleanliness of their own classrooms and learning environment. They do not rely on the teachers or external cleaners but clean almost everything themselves. I felt extremely ashamed when I saw them staying back just to clean their classrooms after school and think that we should learn from them and do the same. I will try to treat the cleaners with a different attitude and not take them for granted anymore. Some long term changes I hope will take place would be for me to be more independent and also to be more appreciative of the people and facilities that I have. I also learnt many leadership skills that I hope will stay with me for a longer period of time as they are very useful in future project work etc. I think that specifically, the leadership skills I learnt in this OELP trip will be the most useful when I bring them back to Singapore, to school. At the beginning of the trip. I did not really know how to split the work assigned equally among my group members and to ensure that all of them did their part and handed up the work on time. I think that this caused them to be quite annoyed and angry at me . I also got into some arguments with my group member over her refusing to complete her work. I think that I was very immature of me and I did not know how to tell her appropriately which caused countless misunderstandings which led to our group being not as good as the others. I have reflected about this and also consulted other teachers and the methods and ways to deal with this told by them were extremely useful. When I put into place the new techniques, they worked relatively well and I now know better about how to be better to my group and how to ensure that we all complete our work on time, effectively. I also think that from this trip I was shown a variety of cultures and lifestyles which I can learn from. I think that Singaporeans should strive to be as innovative and flexible as the Chinese and improve ourselves. With better conditions. We might not necessarily be the most successful and innovative as we are too comfortable with our " perfect " life and see no need to improve our solve problems. We think that our problems will always be solved for us by others and we do not need to help. Thus, I think that Singaporeans should be more innovative like the Chinese.
Youth culture montage
Create a montage using any app that you have that will represent :
1) Singapore's youth culture
and what you think will represent
2) Chinese youth culture
Include a short write up on why you chose what u chose.
Singapore montage
I chose the above pictures for both montages because I feel that they are popular in youths ( most searched online and most popular on surveys ) based on hearsay, I have heard about some of them too. My basis for choosing the photos is that they must be popular in youths and represents the country's culture to show the similarities and differences between both countries.
Individual Days reflection
Day 1: AIRPORT AND SONG DYNASTY CITY (culture+history)
When we went to the Song Dynasty City, I noticed that the houses were all made of wood and there were many trees, this meant that it was very easy for a fire to be started and that the technology was not very advanced in that era. ( 1000AD ). That period also seemed to be a time where the people were living quite comfortably as the city looked prosperous and the buildings looked grand. From this we were able to learn more about the history and culture of China, specifically Hangzhou, in the Song Dynasty. The theme park was also unique as it was not like a typical Universal Studios theme park or disneyland. It achieved 2 purposes, integrating the cultural and historical aspects of the country into a business. I think that Singapore can learn from this idea and try to make some changes to ordinary theme parks and make them more interesting, allowing tourists to learn about our country while having fun.
urbanized areas
walking in the Song Dynasty City
Day 2: WAHAHA FACTORY VISIT (economy) AND TEA MUSEUM AND PLANTATION VISIT (culture)
Before we visited the Wahaha factory, we read some articles about the company which made us realise that the company had many achievements. It is China's leading domestic beverage producer, it has 70 subsidiary companies and 40 manufacturing bases scattered throughout China, its sales networks covers every county in China and it acquired a large 30 year old state owned enterprise, The Hangzhou Canned Food Product Co. We were given the chance to learn more about the company and its " secrets for success "when we went to the company. There, we were shocked to learn that the company had actually met with numerous challenges while growing the Wahaha Company. There was the SARS outbreak, energy supply shortages, raw material price increase in 2003 and the company was seen as a small and incapable company. The company however, had many tactics to deal with the challenges. They began carefully expanding beyond the mainland, they produced their own bottle caps to lower the manufacturing prices, they chose specific regions to target for each product and they used special methods to advertise and market their products. I think that what contributed to the company's success was that they knew how to take advantage of situations to to sell their products. For example, they knew that there were many children who were picky eaters and that the parents were very worried for their children, so they started to have the new product which was their nutritional drink. Also, when the milk powder in China had some problems, they created a new brand of milk powder for infants. The Wahaha company also managed their talent very well. There were different levels and the higher levels would have higher pay and better benefits etc. Therefore, many people wanted to improve their " levels ", but to do so, they must satisfy a list of conditions. This way of managing talents ensures that the employees will put in more effort and this also ensures that only the most capable and most talented people hold key positions. Lastly, the company was very innovative and often had new breakthroughs. They constantly did scientific research to come up with new product and better equipment to improve the efficiency of manufacturing of products. Their products were also very special and always new so it attracted many customers.
drink sampling !!!
Before we visited the Wahaha factory, we read some articles about the company which made us realise that the company had many achievements. It is China's leading domestic beverage producer, it has 70 subsidiary companies and 40 manufacturing bases scattered throughout China, its sales networks covers every county in China and it acquired a large 30 year old state owned enterprise, The Hangzhou Canned Food Product Co. We were given the chance to learn more about the company and its " secrets for success "when we went to the company. There, we were shocked to learn that the company had actually met with numerous challenges while growing the Wahaha Company. There was the SARS outbreak, energy supply shortages, raw material price increase in 2003 and the company was seen as a small and incapable company. The company however, had many tactics to deal with the challenges. They began carefully expanding beyond the mainland, they produced their own bottle caps to lower the manufacturing prices, they chose specific regions to target for each product and they used special methods to advertise and market their products. I think that what contributed to the company's success was that they knew how to take advantage of situations to to sell their products. For example, they knew that there were many children who were picky eaters and that the parents were very worried for their children, so they started to have the new product which was their nutritional drink. Also, when the milk powder in China had some problems, they created a new brand of milk powder for infants. The Wahaha company also managed their talent very well. There were different levels and the higher levels would have higher pay and better benefits etc. Therefore, many people wanted to improve their " levels ", but to do so, they must satisfy a list of conditions. This way of managing talents ensures that the employees will put in more effort and this also ensures that only the most capable and most talented people hold key positions. Lastly, the company was very innovative and often had new breakthroughs. They constantly did scientific research to come up with new product and better equipment to improve the efficiency of manufacturing of products. Their products were also very special and always new so it attracted many customers.
outside the Wahaha company
At the Xieyuda tea plantation, we were shown how the tea plants were grown, how to keep the pests away and how to pick the tea leaves. I think that the way they protected the plants from pests was very interesting. I saw many yellow boards sticking out and later on the guide told us that it was a sticky board to trap the insects so that they would not harm the plants. Afterwards, we went to the Xieyuda tea museum. We learnt more about the company and we were brought to a room to try some of their tea. We tried green tea, chrysanthemum tea and red tea. They told us the various medical benefits of the different types of tea and how the tea was made. Tea is very important in the lives of the Chinese as they drink it like how we drink water. The quality of tea is important and it is frequently drunk by them.
a tea leaf that I picked
Day 3: TUNXI INK FACTORY, CHENGDAWEI ABACUS MUSEUM,(culture+history) TUNXI ANCIENT STREET(culture+economy) AND HONGCUN AND XIDI ANCIENT VILLAGES(culture and history)
We first went to the Chengdawei ancient museum. The guide there first told us that in the Huangshan area, there were many mountains and little plantations and fertile soil. Thus, the people were mostly traders and had to go to other parts of china to trade for food. As a result, the people near Huangshan often had to calculate money. The calculating method in the past was very complicated and difficult to grasp, Cheng Da Wei was gifted in mathematics and came up with the abacus, which was a much simpler method of calculation and so he was known as a very important person that contributed greatly to the livelihoods of the people. He was deeply respected, even by the Japanese.
Afterwards, we went to the ink factory. The factory was located high up and we had to climb many flights of stairs to be able to see the manufacturing process. Firstly, black soot was collected for the black ink. Then, they were all made into ink sticks by hammering and kneading and also the placing of the ink into the moulds. The extra decoration was first carved and then carefully painted with gold paint by hand. The process can take very long, especially the drying part which can take up to a year. i think that the similarity between the tunxi ink factory and the chengdawei abacus museum is that both places have a significance and a purpose. The things shown are also organised in a certain way to be shown to visitors. The items shown also have a certain value.
a statue in the factory
hitting the ink thingy
celine trying out the ink
We went to the Tunxi Ancient Street next and we saw many different traditional crafts and snacks etc. I think that one diminishing trade would be the making of the 烧饼. It tasted quite different from food i ate in Singapore as it is quite sweet. I also found the method of making the 烧饼 very special as it is made freshly on a old machine thing and then it is placed into a giant " barrel ". I think that Singapore also has diminishing trades and we can use different methods to preserve these. For example, we can package the traditional food into products that can be sold at supermarkets or stores. We can also create festivals at certain ancient streets for the people to go and try out the traditional trades, food or crafts. They can also take the chance to learn more about traditional life etc. While walking along the street, i also noticed the shop owners methods of showing us their products. For example, when the shop owner was selling a musical instrument, he would play a song for everyone to hear. Even though he did not know how to speak English, he attracted many customers. I also realised that minimal Chinese was used on the signboards. Instead, the shop owners used more symbols and pictures that could be understood universally. This could cater to the tourists needs if they could not speak or understand Chinese.
烧饼
end of the street
Later on, we went to the Xidi and Hongcun ancient villages. Both villages were very beautiful and reflected the history of China, however, i think that the most important thing was how the people actually came up with interesting methods to get water and prevent contamination. Also, almost everything they did had a meaning behind it, including the placement of decorations and couplets. The layout of Hongcun resembles the shape of an Ox and is crisscrossed by a complex network of water canals feeding into the central half-moon pond and southern lake. The lake is the village's source of water and to prevent contamination, they have a fixed time to put in all their dirty clothes and things that have to be washed. The lake is also separated into a bigger part and a smaller part which makes it look like a bow, with an arrow in the centre. One of the parts is the dirty and contaminated part while the other part is the clean part. While we were brought to the different parts of the villages, we realised that it was common for the locals to place a vase and a mirror on a table with a clock in the centre. This symbolised peace and harmony within the household. The central half moon pond was special as it was intentionally built to not be a circle. This is to remind others that not everything needs to be perfect all the time. Xidi village was famous for its carvings on wood, stones and bricks. When we entered the first house, we realised that there was the same layout with the mirror, clock and vase. They also used different carvings to differentiate the position of the person living in the house. For example, a lion would mean that the person was a official. Houses also had a large gap above known as the 天井. When it rained, the water would flow into the house and seep through the tiles to go underground which will lead to a water body. This was supposed to symbolise the flow of money into the house. One important thing i saw was the word "孝" . From far, the word would look like an ordinary word, however, if you looked carefully. The picture can look like a monkey preparing to throw a punch at someone or a human that can look up proudly. I think this means to say that if you do not treat your parents well, you are the monkey. If you treat your parents well, you are a human that can be proud of yourself.
in the village
a well
old post office
the view of the village
artists' paintings
We first took a bus and a cable car up the mountain to the centre. When we got out of the cable car, it was extremely foggy and cold. There were many tourists preparing to climb up the mountain and it felt like it was going to rain. We also had to observe different objects or phenomena. I observed that :
- there were many green ferns (pteridophytes) of different sizes growing everywhere
- the stairs were steep, slippery and full of moss (bryophytes)
- it was very foggy, the air felt very moist and visibility was limited to approximately 50m and below
- there was little sunlight as it was quite dark when we were climbing the mountain and the temperature felt quite low. ( recorded temperature was approximately 14°C )
- the wind was very strong and i could feel it brush against my skin
- the voices were mostly of tour guides speaking and people talking in different dialects/chinese loudly. There were children laughing too.
- the cable cars were fast moving and i was afraid to get on it at first because i thought it was unsafe. However, i survived it so it seems quite safe. We had to quickly get on and off the cable car as it does not stop for you. I was worried as it felt like a roller coaster. I noticed something very special in the cable car station, there was a tree in the centre of the station at a random place, but unlike in other buildings, it wasn't cut down or moved. I think that we can learn from their methods of taking care of the environment and not harming it unnecessarily. Even though they used Huangshan as a tourism sight, they did not forget about preserving it.
- the people climbing the mountain are mostly elderly and they were using walking sticks. They seem to be very strong physically.
- the dustbins were made from rocks.
After visiting the mountain, I think that tourism helps to preserve Huangshan. This is because, if Huangshan was not a popular tourist site, it might not be that important and worth preserving. Therefore, if it is a tourist sight, it will more likely be preserved. This is also a way to earn money for the country because tourists have to pay money to take cable cars and for food. On the other hand, the money collected may be used for other purposes and the litter that tourists contribute may destroy the mountain.
tree
Day 5: VISIT TO MEILING COMPANY,(economy) SCHOOL EXCHANGE PROGRAMME,(education)
The main aim for us when we went to Meiling electronics company was to learn about the strategies that the company used. Meiling company let other well-known brands buy their products and sell them to customers using the well-known brand's name. They also made their products appeal to others by making constant changes and releasing newer products with better features. Lastly, they marketed their brand as the one for china so it would attract the people of their country. They did all the above as they would be able to earn more money from selling items out of china in the name of well-known brands and the new changes made would attract customers. Comparing Hefei and Singapore as an attractive place for businesses to set up their operations in, i think Singapore is not very attractive. In Singapore, there is not much space, and the tax rate is higher. I think that if we want to attract more people, we can tell them that we have many foreign workers and we could try to increase the space allocated for these businesses. We can also give them more benefits etc.
the first model fridge
fridge with a TV screen
Day 6: HALF DAY SCHOOL IMMERSION PROGRAMME(education)AND VISIT TO LARGEST SUPERMARKET(economy)
In the morning, we went into their classroom for lessons, at that time, it was a Chinese lesson. During the lesson, i struggled to understand what the teacher was saying as it was quite difficult. However, the teacher allowed the students to explain the passage to me and they did so very patiently. I did not understand it the first few times but they continued to explain to me without being annoyed. This lesson was also one of the more memorable ones because the other students made me read the passage aloud in class. Even though it was quite scary, i felt quite good about myself after the lesson because i actually learnt some Chinese from them. Between lessons, they had a 10 minute break and i went to the toilet. The toilets there are quite different from those in Singapore because they did not have doors. At first a few of my classmates did not dare to use the toilet so they held it in till the end of the day. The toilets also only had one basin and the flush was connected to save water. The form teacher and chairperson of the class also gave us some gifts. After that, the group leader of the group i was in gave me a book and a bag of food. I felt very awkward because the gift i prepared was nothing compared to the ones they gave me, however when i gave them the gifts, they did not laugh at me or said they did not like it so it was still okay in the end. After the break, they had biology lessons which was at the lab. That day, they were testing the strength of vitamin C of different drinks, so they brought a few bottled drink and added a solution to test the strength of the vitamin. During the experiment they started drinking the drinks from the beakers and i was very shocked because in Singapore, we were not allowed to drink any drinks or even bring any drinks into the lab. After this, we had a lesson on Chinese painting. The lesson was quite interesting and it was fun because we learnt a bit of Chinese painting in school at Singapore. While i was painting, i felt that it was very ugly but the students there told me it was nice and taught me how to make it look better. At the end of the lesson, the teacher told me my painting was nice and i felt encouraged. After the painting lesson, we went to the canteen area to make dumplings. It was raining so the students were each holding onto umbrellas and bringing us to the canteen. They were really very nice to us. When we were there, we were taught to make dumplings but I was very bad at making them and ended up with rice spilling everywhere. Even the parent who was teaching me gave up on teaching me. By the end of the session, I only made one dumpling and it looked very ugly. After the dumpling making session, we had lunch. The food was served in metal plates with different compartments and i felt that it was really cool because in Singapore we did not have such plates. After eating, we went to the classroom to learn about the food and wine culture in China. There was a teacher there to explain the famous food and they told us about the different kinds of wine. They even gave us wine to try afterwards. After the lesson, we went to the various class rooms for lessons. The class i was in was having math lesson at that time and they were learning geometry. I was quite happy when i found out they were learning geometry because it was the only thing i had learnt so far and so i could understand the questions. Each of the students had their own cut out of the geometrical shapes and they were nice enough to cut one for me. One of the students even lent me his textbook and explained the Chinese to me. I think that i should learn from their initiative and their thoughtfulness. When the math lesson ended, i exchanged gifts with my buddy i met from the QQ app and we talked for a while, I then went for the last activity planned for the day, which was the sports meet. I did not join any of the competitions because i was not very good at sports but i learned some volleyball which was quite fun. The students there were very patient in teaching me how to play the sport. Even though i was a slow learner and i did not really understand what they said, she continued to encourage me and told me i was doing well. After playing a game of volleyball with my other friends and her, she noticed my hands were bruised so she told me about herself when she just started playing volleyball. She also told me how to let the bruises heal more quickly. It was very fun learning to play volleyball and time flew by quickly. Soon, we had to say goodbye to all our buddies and friends that we met. While we were leaving the school, i noticed that the students were cleaning their own classrooms without the prompting of teachers. I also suddenly remembered that i did not see many cleaners in the school so the school should have been cleaned up by the students themselves. I feel that we should learn from them and try our best to keep the school clean, we should also cherish the cleaners and facilities more.
After the school visit, we went to the largest supermarket in Hefei to do our market research. We went to the lotus supermarket and my group was assigned to find out the prices of a fresh whole chicken, 1 litre of cooking oil, milk tea or yoghurt drink and vitamins. The price of one fresh whole chicken is ¥30.66 and the chicken weighs 1.518kg. We were unable to find any 1 litre cooking oil. The yoghurt drink we found was ¥5.60 for a bottle of 340ml, aloe vera flavoured drink, ¥5.60 for a bottle of 340ml, orange flavoured drink, ¥5.50 for a bottle of 340ml, normal flavoured drink and ¥6.50 for a bottle of 340ml, less sugar drink. Vitamin brand A weighs 19.5g with 30 pellets costs ¥19.80, vitamin brand me weighs 60g and costs ¥258.
Day 7: BUDDY HOUSE VISIT,(culture) BOOKSTORE VISIT, AND LEARNING FENGYANG DRUMS AND HUANGMEI OPERA AT ANHUI UNIVERSITY OF ARTS(culture+history)
In the morning, we headed to the school to meet our assigned house buddy. Our buddy was called Jiaying and she was very friendly to us. First, she brought us to 李府 which was Li Hong Zhang's house which is now a museum. Afterwards, she brought us to 包公祠 which was where 包拯 was buried. While we were walking out of the park, there was a river with willow trees and calligraphy done in water on the concrete ground. i felt that it was very pretty. She then brought us to her house. Her house was very big and there was a garden outside her house with a koi pond, a water wheel, a swing and fruit trees. She picked some fruits, allowed us to feed the fishes and brought us to her greenhouse upstairs. When we went inside the house, we started to prepare the food we wanted to cook for them. Shuang Ching and I began making some bah kut teh and chicken rice while Yue San made some white coffee. Before having lunch, Yuesan and our buddy played the piano for us. Afterwards, her mother brought out some food and fruits for us to eat and our buddy played a movie for us. Soon, our food was ready and the food they prepared was cooked so we had lunch. It was quite awkward and we had to eat rice without a spoon which was quite difficult, however, our buddy's parents were very nice and gave us a spoon when they realised we did not know how to use chopsticks well. Before going to their house, i thought that they would be very formal with their parents and it would be very awkward, they would live in house that were very old and small, their food will not be very nice and that they would not really want to talk to me, but after interacting with them, i realised that my buddy treated her parents like friends, it was quite fun, their houses were big and beautifully furnished and their food was very delicious. After lunch, it was time for us to go back to the school and even though it was sad, we had to say goodbye to our buddy and her parents. Before we left, she gave us a necklace each in a drawstring bag and we gave her our tote bag with food that we prepared. Afterwards, we said goodbye and we went to the Anhui University of the arts.
outside 李府
photo outside 包公祠
When we reached the university, we watched some Huangmei opera performed by the students there and we were shocked to realise that the students performing were of the same age as us, 14. They seemed very experience and professional so we did not expect them to be 14. After performing for a while, they separated the boys and girls and taught us different actions and steps. When the time was up, we went to another part of the school for the Fengyang drums lesson. After learning about these traditional arts in China, we were asked to think about similar arts in Singapore that may be forgotten e.g. Chinese opera and how to promote it to youths. I think that we can start courses about it, make it a part of students curriculum, conduct competitions on it, provide free performances at schools, conduct Q&A sessions with famous Chinese opera singers, start a Chinese opera CCA in schools, create TV shows about Chinese Opera.
the opera performance
fengyang drum lesson
Day 8: TRANSFER TO HANGZHOU VIA HIGH SPEED RAIL,(transport) LUNCH AT HAIDILAO STEAMBOAT RESTAURANT,(economy)AND RETURN TO SINGAPORE
Today was the last day of our trip so we went to the train station to take the train to Hangzhou and go back to Singapore. We went on board the train and when it started moving, I realised it was moving very quickly, ( 205km/h according to a board on the train ). It was also quite scary because we had to get off the train within 2-3 minutes as the train would not wait for long.
the train
After we got off the train, we had lunch at Haidilao steamboat restaurant. The waiters in the restaurant were very friendly and helpful. When we first arrived at the restaurant, they welcomed us with warm smiles. When we were at our seats, they gave us a cloth to cover our bags, scooped out the oil from the soup, gave us wet wipes to clean our spectacles and talked to us. While we were eating, i was very clumsy and dropped the ladle into the pot many times but she did not seem angry at all, she just gave me a new ladle and said it was alright. They also turned on music and made noodles for us while we were eating. There was also a children's day celebration that day as it was children's day the following day so they brought the children to the room we were in and asked if we wanted to join them. I think that the reason why their service was so good was because they loved their job and their company. Their company must be very nice to their employees and so they are proud of their job and enjoy working. As we were leaving the restaurant, they gave each of us a cup containing food.
eating with the best people :)
After this, we went to the airport and went back to Singapore. I felt quite sad to leave China and end this OELP trip but i feel that i have learnt a lot over these 8 days. I will try to put things i have learnt to good use and be a better person.
photo at the airport
1. I chose to go on this trip as I wanted to prove to both my parents and myself that I could be independent and be trusted by them. I also hoped to be able to bond more with the class as this was the only and most likely the last trip we would have overseas together as class 2F. I also wanted broaden my horizon and to learn more about the culture of China, the economy and the lifestyle of the people there, and to learn to embrace other forms of culture and ways of life. I also took this trip as an opportunity to practice my Chinese language as I am not very fluent in it. When I chose to go on this trip, I had to make many decisions for example,I did not know if I was actually brave enough to take the airplane myself and to climb Mt. Huangshan without my parents. If I would be tactful enough and not offend the people in China without knowing so myself. I was very worried about the trip and thought that I would get into some sort of trouble there. Even my parents told me they doubted my abilities to take care of myself which made me feel more apprehensive about going on this trip. Eventually, I had to decide between trusting myself and enduring the trip even if i ended up hating it or to listen to my parents and not going for the trip like they asked me to. Ultimately, I chose to go for this trip after one of the China students from the exchange school that came to Singapore the year before and was friends with me told me she was excitedly awaiting my arrival in China. I did not want to disappoint her so I chose to go for this trip and attempted to prove my parents wrong. When I first went for the trip, I did not have a clear goal or a specific list of things that I wanted to learn or hoped to learn. Mainly, I just wanted to learn about the culture of China and what was stated in our CID lessons. However as I proceeded on with the trip, I gradually learned things that I did not expect myself to be able to learn, In my opinion, these were more valuable than what I actually wanted to learn and were more useful and applicable to my life. At the beginning, I was very very shallow and simply wanted to know if the rumors spread by the seniors and classmates were true. For example, I wanted to know if he toilets were really unsanitary and had no doors and if the Chinese were really loud and rude. Throughout the trip, I thought more deeply about other things that I could learn from, like how I could compare China to Singapore. I realized the difference in our education system and also the major difference in culture. Even in China, we could compare the rural villages like Hongcun to the major cities near Hangzhou. It was when I noticed all this small details that I learnt the most important knowledge.
2. One situation that I feel strongly about was when I went to the house visit to our China buddy's home. Firstly, they did not bring us to their house immediately. Instead, they brought us to some museums and parks. Even though they told me many things about how the people led their lives in the past and more about the history of China and the darkest moments when China was colonized by the Japanese, the knowledge learnt through these were only secondary. The most important segment about the home visit was when she talked to us and answered our questions. I still remember myself telling her how China was litter free, and how the people led prosperous lives, improving together as one. I remembered feeling envy for her family and country, about how China could progress together without leaving anyone behind. However her reply to this statement made me change my outlook towards China completely. She told me that honestly, what I had seen was only the main roads of the urbanized cities in China. The smaller alleys and roads in very rural areas were very dangerous and dirty. She told me that the smell was very bad and the places had many dangerous,poor people that committed all sorts of crimes. They committed crimes not because they wanted to, but because they were poor and could not survive and feed their families if they did not commit theft and robbery. She said it was so dangerous that even she, herself does not dare to wander off too far away from the main roads. I felt really shocked when I heard this from her, In Singapore, the heavily built up and urbanized country, i had rarely seen such incidents like theft in small roads. I grew up in a family with everything I could ask for and I never really had to worry about not having food on the table or not having enough education. This trip only showed us the " pretty " side of China but neglected the real side. One person that has taught me more than what could be achieved was a beggar begging for some money near the end of the Tunxi ancient road. This was most likely the closest experience to actual poverty in China I had seen. The beggar was simply begging for some money for food but the other passerbys spit on him and tried to make him go away like he was a pest. I felt extremely sad for the beggar then but i did not offer any help. Only after my buddy told me about the actual living conditions the poor had to face that I understood how tough the lives of the beggars would have been. She told me that in China, most people were very competitive as the population was large. Therefore, only a small percentage of people would be able to make it into good universities and get good jobs. As a result, the government is unable to provide for all the citizens and to ensure that all of them are not lagging behind. I understand that it is difficult for the government but I also feel very sad for the people lagging behind the society. I feel that the society should try to render help and support those who need help. In conclusion, the one fact that impacted the most was the government and the society's inability to ensure all the poorer and suffering people were living well.
3. I think that through this trip, I have learnt countless new things that changed my character. Firstly, I will try to be more content with what I have in life and not be greedy or want more than needed. The Chinese students there could study with just books, a blackboard and a table. However, in our school in Singapore, we have many facilities like projectors, iPads, libraries etc. We don't cherish the facilities we have and do not work as hard as the Chinese students do. In future, I will try to have a better learning attitude and cherish the things I have more. The students in China also clean the toilets and classrooms after school themselves without any prompting from the teachers. This is very different from Singapore as we mostly rely on cleaners to help us clean up our mess after school. We do not really notice or think about why the school becomes cleaner the next day but simply take the clean environment for granted. The students in China are very responsible and take effort to ensure the cleanliness of their own classrooms and learning environment. They do not rely on the teachers or external cleaners but clean almost everything themselves. I felt extremely ashamed when I saw them staying back just to clean their classrooms after school and think that we should learn from them and do the same. I will try to treat the cleaners with a different attitude and not take them for granted anymore. Some long term changes I hope will take place would be for me to be more independent and also to be more appreciative of the people and facilities that I have. I also learnt many leadership skills that I hope will stay with me for a longer period of time as they are very useful in future project work etc. I think that specifically, the leadership skills I learnt in this OELP trip will be the most useful when I bring them back to Singapore, to school. At the beginning of the trip. I did not really know how to split the work assigned equally among my group members and to ensure that all of them did their part and handed up the work on time. I think that this caused them to be quite annoyed and angry at me . I also got into some arguments with my group member over her refusing to complete her work. I think that I was very immature of me and I did not know how to tell her appropriately which caused countless misunderstandings which led to our group being not as good as the others. I have reflected about this and also consulted other teachers and the methods and ways to deal with this told by them were extremely useful. When I put into place the new techniques, they worked relatively well and I now know better about how to be better to my group and how to ensure that we all complete our work on time, effectively. I also think that from this trip I was shown a variety of cultures and lifestyles which I can learn from. I think that Singaporeans should strive to be as innovative and flexible as the Chinese and improve ourselves. With better conditions. We might not necessarily be the most successful and innovative as we are too comfortable with our " perfect " life and see no need to improve our solve problems. We think that our problems will always be solved for us by others and we do not need to help. Thus, I think that Singaporeans should be more innovative like the Chinese.
Create a montage using any app that you have that will represent :
1) Singapore's youth culture
and what you think will represent
2) Chinese youth culture
Singapore montage
I chose the above pictures for both montages because I feel that they are popular in youths ( most searched online and most popular on surveys ) based on hearsay, I have heard about some of them too. My basis for choosing the photos is that they must be popular in youths and represents the country's culture to show the similarities and differences between both countries.
Hefei food (Culture)
Due to Hefei's location, it has the cuisine styles of surrounding regions but it still retains the style of its own cuisine. There are many kinds of food that are featured in Hefei, some which are highly recommended and must trys are the:
Luzhou Roasted Duck
Li Hongzhang Medley
An eminent delicacy in Hefei. It is said that Li Hongzhang ever invited the American guests to enjoy the Chinese dishes during a visit to America. The Chinese dishes were so popular with the guests that Li Hongzhang ordered the cook to add more dishes. But the main dishes had been used up. The cook had no choice but to put the remaining seafood together into a pot and cook them. These foreign guests tasted it and praised it highly, asking about its name. Li Hongzhang answered in Hefei dialect: "Zasui". Since then "the medley" spreads through all America. And Hefei also follows the way of doing it. Then it becomes a famous delicacy. The main materials include sea cucumber, squid, dried slices of tender bamboo shoots, tightly rolled dried skin of bean milk, chicken, ham, the egg yolk pudding, pigeon's egg, pork liver, dried scallop, salted duck egg yolk, spinach, chicken soup, etc.
The Hefei four famous pastries which include Sesame Cake, Bake Cake, Cuijin Cake and Baiqie Cake, are well known by their abundant ingredients, special flavors and refined packing.
Sesame Cake is in the shape of moon cake, whose surface soft and fragrant, while the stuffing is sweet but not greasy. The color of the surface is golden and the rim of the surface is light golden. Full sesame is distributed on the surface uniformly. It has different flavors of fruit, such as, tangerine, plum, etc.
Cunjin Cake has special fragrance of orange or sweet osmanthus, tasting sweet and delicious.
Baiqie Cake is transparent and in white in color, thin and even slices and sweet with heavy amounts of sesame.
As a country that pays great attention to courtesy, their cuisine culture is deep rooted in China's History. Thus, table manners are essential and the distinctive courtesies displayed will invariably add to the enjoyment of your meals and keep you in high spirits.
Chinese people stress filial piety all the time. The practice of presenting the best or fine food first to the senior members of the family has been observed for countless generations.
Although the hosts in China are all friendly and hospitable, you should also show them respect. Before starting to eat dinner, the host may offer some words of greeting. Guests should not start to eat until the host says, 'Please enjoy yourself' or something like that, otherwise it suggests disrespect and causes displeasure.
When hosts place dishes on the table, they will arrange the main courses at the center with the supporting dishes evenly placed around them. When the main dishes are prepared in a decorative form either by cut or other means they will be placed facing the major guests and elder people at the table. This also embodies virtue.
2. CHOPSTICKS
The invention of chopsticks reflects the wisdom of Chinese ancient people. A pair of chopsticks, though they look simple, can nip, pick, rip and stir food. Nowadays, chopsticks are considered to be lucky gifts for marriage and other important ceremonies.
3. IMPORTANT CEREMONIES
To celebrate the birthday is important moment in one's life. When one is young, usually he will eat noodles before his birthday, because the long noodles indicate the longevity in China, and birthday cake on the actual day. After middle age, his birthday will be grander. In addition to the above, peaches in many forms will be added symbolizing the longevity and immortality, as well as delightful couplets and candles.
On the wedding day, it is also customary to serve dates, peanuts, longan and chestnuts together as wish that the couple will soon have a baby in accord with the Chinese proclamation.
To most Chinese people, returning home after long absence or departure from home are both significant and there are dining customs associated with this. The return home is greeted with noodles and off home while a farewell is offered with dumplings. This is especially popular in northeast China.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, though many people cannot reach the river zone to watch the boat race, almost all of them eat zongzi, a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves.
Is the Merlion a good representation of Singapore ?
The Merlion,
as a fishing village when it was called Temasek ( during the 14th century ), which means "sea town" in Javanese .
The lion head represents Singapore's original name meaning "lion city". The legend goes that when a Sumatran prince, who set foot in Singapore in the 11th century, was confronted by a fearsome looking animal that he thought was a lion (probably a tiger which abounded there), he immediately named the island Singapura (a Sanskrit word for Lion City). It was later changed to Singapore when it became a British colony.
I think that the Merlion represents Singapore because it shows the History and the origins of Singapore, it is a popular tourist attraction recommended by TripAdvisor as a " must-see " and is recognised worldwide as a symbol of Singapore. However, it is not very unique, For the record, the merlion animal, in various manifestations, had, long ago, already been depicted in other countries like ancient Greece, Britain, India and Philippines. But it is only in Singapore that it has been accorded its shining glory and has become its tourism and national icon. Evidence of its popularity and usage in Singapore can be found in various items representing it. There are souvenirs with the merlion like
keychains
soft toys
refrigerator magnets
and and even a restaurant in the USA with a merlion theme.
However, even though this represents Singapore, there are still other things that symbolise Singapore, some examples are
Esplanade-theaters on the bay which is a 60,000 square metres performing arts centre located in Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River.
and the Vanda Miss Joaquim, a hybrid orchid cultivar that is Singapore's national flower. For its resilience and year round blooming quality, it was chosen on 15 April 1981 to represent Singapore's uniqueness and hybrid culture. However this may not be a better representation of Singapore compared to the merlion as its name is weird sounding, difficult to spell and pronounce. Thus it not stick in the foreigners minds as deeply as the merlion does.
Q: With what you have learnt about the golden age of Tang Dynasty, reflect on the things you have learnt about Lee Kuan Yew and how Singapore can be seen to be at its own version of the Golden Age.
During the golden age, the country will be advanced, economically and technologically, the people will live peacefully and the country will be prosperous. Singapore used to be one of the smallest Southeast asian country, a small fishing port, there were riots everyday and the country was nothing like Singapore today. It was Mr Lee Kuan Yew who helped us made so many changes and turned a 3rd world country to a 1st world country. He helped us gain independence and made our presence known to others, he solved all the problems that were preventing Singapore from improving, he created this peaceful environment with almost everything we need.
Comparing the old Singapore to the current one, we are indeed at out golden age. We have one of the best healthcare infrastructures, an extremely low crime rate, and even a the best airport. Our country is safe because of our good relations with other countries and National Service. Singapore can be seen as a very successful country at present, thus i think that it is the golden age.
China's economic growth :
China's combined imports and exports amounted to almost $4.2 trillion, this has been increasing and we can see that China's economic growth will continue to rise in recent years. The economy that gets the most out of China's imports is America, the biggest per person is Hong Kong and the country that earns the most from the imports is actually Norway. The Suzhou industrial park has a total jurisdiction area of 288 km2, of which, the China-Singapore cooperation area covers 80 km2 with a planned residential population of 1.2 million.
The SIP is ranked the second-best industrial park in China and regularly tops developmental indices. Its gross domestic product in 2013 was 190 billion yuan (S$39.6 billion), up from one billion yuan in 1994. With 3.4 per cent of Suzhou’s land area and 5.2 per cent of its population, it contributes 15 per cent to the city’s economy. This proves its success.
The Sino-Singaoore Tianjin Eco City's vision is to be a thriving city which is socially harmonious, environmentally friendly and resource efficient. It is a flagship cooperation between the governments of Singapore and China.
In my opinion, Singapore should engage in more economic activities and trading with China. China has a rapidly growing economy and Singapore will benefit greatly if we were to collaborate with them.
The SIP is ranked the second-best industrial park in China and regularly tops developmental indices. Its gross domestic product in 2013 was 190 billion yuan (S$39.6 billion), up from one billion yuan in 1994. With 3.4 per cent of Suzhou’s land area and 5.2 per cent of its population, it contributes 15 per cent to the city’s economy. This proves its success.
The Sino-Singaoore Tianjin Eco City's vision is to be a thriving city which is socially harmonious, environmentally friendly and resource efficient. It is a flagship cooperation between the governments of Singapore and China.
In my opinion, Singapore should engage in more economic activities and trading with China. China has a rapidly growing economy and Singapore will benefit greatly if we were to collaborate with them.
Future Singapore
It is predicted that our country's population will begin shrinking from 2025 onwards, this means that there will be a larger amount of elderly and too little young.Firstly, the young will have to work very hard to support their parents, grandparents and maybe even great grandparents. In a case where there are no young in that family at all, the elderly will have to take care of themselves which is a difficult thing to do.
Secondly, there will be a lack of people who work and contribute to Singapore. The elderly are physically less fit and may not be as capable as the young in working. Singapore will therefore " backtrack " and lose to other countries. To solve this problem, Singapore will definitely try to promote the immigration of foreign talent. When too many foreigners come to Singapore, the Singaporeans may feel anger due to an influx in foreign talent " stealing " their jobs and school positions. This situation is similar to that of Hong Kong's, when there were too many Chinese immigrants.
To prepare for this impeding problem, Singapore can promote birth. They have done so in the following ways :
1. “Increased financial incentives to encourage bigger families, amounting to cash gifts of S$3000 (US$1889) for the first child and savings of up to S$18,000 each for the third and fourth child.”
2. Tax rebates
3. Tax cuts on maids plus more childcare and maternity benefits.
4. “Offer graduate women with three children priority in securing places at the top nursery schools, an advantage in helping children get ahead at school, university and in the workplace.”
Poverty in Singapore
As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind. Unlike other less developed countries around the world, Singapore does not have a lot of poor people. However, Singapore is one of the most expensive countries in the world, resulting in some people being unable to make ends meet.
In the bottom 20th percentile, the average household earns about $2000 but spends $2300. They can spend only $21 a day in order to survive. Their jobs involve being a plumber, lorry driver and beautician etc.
In order to experience what it is like to live in poverty, some people have tried the $5 challenge which is to spend only $5 a day on meals. Upon deeper research, i read about this on a blog. That blogger said that it is possible to only spend $5 on meals a day but you would still be extremely hungry and unhealthy. An example would be when the blogger ate 6 eggs in a day just to feel less hungry as eggs were cheap and filling. Eating that many eggs a day would however cause your cholesterol level to rise. After experiencing the $5 challenge, most people learnt to respect those experiencing poverty.
During my December holidays, I did a wide range of activities ( from simply studying to via and spending more time with my family ) When the holidays first started, I spent 30 hours during my holidays at the Bukit Batok community centre. I shelved and stamped books for an upcoming event and taught elderly crafts related to christmas. My seniors and I taught of simple crafts to engage the elderly and taught it to them.
paint !!! 
the elderly busy painting their " plastic bottle owls " and chatting merrily.
one of the elderly showcasing her painting made of cross-stiches. She took 6 months to complete it !!
a toilet roll octopus , aeroplane and reindeer we taught them :-) i have learnt many skills including the ability to teach the elderly patiently and care for them. I feel more confident now !! 
I had lunch with Chen Xin afterwards 8)
I think another highlight of my December holidays is facilitator trainings !!! I have grown a lot and learn things I would have never been able to learn during leadership training camp and all the trainings I've attended.
a selfie we took after the camp.
photos during training xDThirdly, I celebrated my guinea pig and my grandmother's birthday 8)
^ a " birthday cake " made out of fruits and vegetables 
a Polaroid I took during my grandmother's birthday dinner >.<
adorable looking dim sum I had with my family ~
{ movie date with Chen Xin }
<3One of my favourite events during the holiday was our class outing @marinabarage !!!Our class first met at jurong east mrt to shop for food for our " picnic " later on. We spent over a hundred dollars ( a lOt !!!! ) 
we got a lot of junk food, ranging from popcorn, chips,gummy bears and lots of drinks to marshmallows, chicken , ham and bread. later on, everyone carried a bag of food and we took the mrt together to marinabarage. 
In the mrt ...
selfie on the bus !!!! ^^ 
aLmoSt class photo - 
all of us had red cheeks because the weather was very hot !! 
This class outing was vEry fun thanks to mingxuan !!! However almost all of us got terribly sunburnt or incredibly tanned :-((( 
One of the meaningful things i did during the holidays was packing food for orphans !!! I went out with my family to shop for food and little bags before packing them overnight with my sister. We even added little notes for them :D When we handed the bags to them, they grinned from ear to ear which made me feel that all our efforts were worth it. I learnt about how fortunate i was, having a supporting family that cares for me. I will now cherish my parents more.
I had a CCA company outing during the holidays too !! We went to Super Bowl park at jurong ^^
our company photo !!! ~
soon after, my CCA celebrated rod ( retirement of duty ) this was an occasion that allowed us to show our appreciation to our seniors who have been patiently teaching us since we joined the cca. <333
More photos !! 
In the bottom 20th percentile, the average household earns about $2000 but spends $2300. They can spend only $21 a day in order to survive. Their jobs involve being a plumber, lorry driver and beautician etc.
In order to experience what it is like to live in poverty, some people have tried the $5 challenge which is to spend only $5 a day on meals. Upon deeper research, i read about this on a blog. That blogger said that it is possible to only spend $5 on meals a day but you would still be extremely hungry and unhealthy. An example would be when the blogger ate 6 eggs in a day just to feel less hungry as eggs were cheap and filling. Eating that many eggs a day would however cause your cholesterol level to rise. After experiencing the $5 challenge, most people learnt to respect those experiencing poverty.
My December holidays
During my December holidays, I did a wide range of activities ( from simply studying to via and spending more time with my family ) When the holidays first started, I spent 30 hours during my holidays at the Bukit Batok community centre. I shelved and stamped books for an upcoming event and taught elderly crafts related to christmas. My seniors and I taught of simple crafts to engage the elderly and taught it to them.
paint !!! the elderly busy painting their " plastic bottle owls " and chatting merrily.one of the elderly showcasing her painting made of cross-stiches. She took 6 months to complete it !!a toilet roll octopus , aeroplane and reindeer we taught them :-) i have learnt many skills including the ability to teach the elderly patiently and care for them. I feel more confident now !! I had lunch with Chen Xin afterwards 8)I think another highlight of my December holidays is facilitator trainings !!! I have grown a lot and learn things I would have never been able to learn during leadership training camp and all the trainings I've attended.a selfie we took after the camp.photos during training xDThirdly, I celebrated my guinea pig and my grandmother's birthday 8)^ a " birthday cake " made out of fruits and vegetables a Polaroid I took during my grandmother's birthday dinner >.<adorable looking dim sum I had with my family ~{ movie date with Chen Xin }<3One of my favourite events during the holiday was our class outing @marinabarage !!!Our class first met at jurong east mrt to shop for food for our " picnic " later on. We spent over a hundred dollars ( a lOt !!!! ) we got a lot of junk food, ranging from popcorn, chips,gummy bears and lots of drinks to marshmallows, chicken , ham and bread. later on, everyone carried a bag of food and we took the mrt together to marinabarage. In the mrt ...selfie on the bus !!!! ^^ aLmoSt class photo - all of us had red cheeks because the weather was very hot !! This class outing was vEry fun thanks to mingxuan !!! However almost all of us got terribly sunburnt or incredibly tanned :-((( One of the meaningful things i did during the holidays was packing food for orphans !!! I went out with my family to shop for food and little bags before packing them overnight with my sister. We even added little notes for them :D When we handed the bags to them, they grinned from ear to ear which made me feel that all our efforts were worth it. I learnt about how fortunate i was, having a supporting family that cares for me. I will now cherish my parents more.
I had a CCA company outing during the holidays too !! We went to Super Bowl park at jurong ^^
our company photo !!! ~soon after, my CCA celebrated rod ( retirement of duty ) this was an occasion that allowed us to show our appreciation to our seniors who have been patiently teaching us since we joined the cca. <333
More photos !! 
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