Max's E&C week reflection

Overall, I think that the E&C week was quite interesting despite the fact that I've already went there last year to the same place. However, there were a few new additions. As usual, we went there and learnt about the Chinese dialects and their origins and culture. It was really interesting to know how different cultrues first started and how they are now in the present. For example, the museum trip gave us magazines that were made by themselves, they also let us try some of their hometown foods. I guess I did not really appreciate it because I didn't seem to like it, so I guess I have to buck up on that factor. In school, I remembered Mr Lam giving us a quiz. It was really fun and funny because I got to know a lot about Chinese history and how it's related to the present. The fact that I didn't manage to answer any of his questions made me realise how bad my Chinese was. I thought the bicultural day camp was really fun because the seniors made everything more fun. I also got to know some information on the three kingdoms which were very interesting too. However, I'm not very sure if I'm joining bicultural studies in year three though. In conclusion, the E&C week was quite fun and interesting, being knowledgable at the same time.

OELP Daily reflection- Zhong Xun

 

Day 1 

On 25th may, 9 in the morning or so, my family and I reached the main entrance of the airport. Having to rushed off to work, my Dad drove off to work after saying goodbye. I was told to report to terminal three row seven at 10:30 sharp. In that hour and a half we went to grab bite at a cafe before meeting my classmates and teachers at the designated place. After listening to a short briefing form the teachers, checking in our luggages and saying our final goodbyes, we finally enter the departure area. We then shortly board our flight SQ832 and was ready to take off a few moments later. In that five hour long flight to Shanghai, I watched a few movies, played some games, and had my lunch. The meal was better than I had expected, it was pretty good just that it was a little hard to eat as there was hardly any space between me and the seat in front of me. For the rest of the flight I had some sleep, making sure that I have enough energy when I reach Shanghai. After hours of sitting, our plane finally landed at Shanghai Pu Dong Airport at 6:05. With our stiffed bodies, we proceed to immigration clearance and collect our luggages. After that was when we met our tour guide, he was standing there with a green flag and a bright smile. The first impression I had on him was friendly and outgoing. He brought us to the place the bus was waiting and help us to load our luggages onto the bus. On the bus ride to the restaurant we having our first meal, he brief us on some simple facts about Shanghai while we have a good look at Shanghai from the Bus. When we reached the restaurant, we found out that we are the only customers there. We were able to taste some of China's delicacies such as the xiao long Bao. After filling our stomach we board the bus again to our hotel. As everyone was dog tired, we quickly check in and have a short briefing before going up to our allocated room to rest. 

Day 2

After having our first dinner, we immediately set off for our tour in Shanghai. We were all excited and on the bus, our tour guide gave us a brief description on the first place we visited, Cheng Huang Miao. Cheng Huang Miao is a place filled with historical and cultural features. The place is very lively, filled with many various shops, selling almost anything you can imagine. We were given time to shop around Cheng Hua Miao freely in groups. In the end, Jia Chen and I went to Starbucks to get a drink. When we stepped into the shop, we realized a great difference between the branches we have in Singapore and the one here. The menu was in Chinese, and we had a hard time ordering the drinks as the shop managers hardly understand what we wanted when we ordered in English. Besides that, it was 端午节, they happened to be selling 粽子. After that we visited the bund, it was a captivating. The tall western influenced buildings definitely made me feel that I'm in Europe. Right next to the buildings, is the famous Huangpu river. After that we visited Shanghai Book City, a seven stores high building. We were all amazed by the size of the book store. There are many different kind of books, and highest level sells music albums and movies. After that we headed to Nanjing Road. Unlike Cheng Huang Miao, Nanjing Road sells all the branded goods, so we hardly bought anything on the during the given time for us to shop. Overall, it was fun filled shopping spree, we really enjoyed that day. 

Day 3 

Today we woke up slightly earlier, to visit our partner school, Shanghai Nanyang High School, for our school immersion program. We were late even when we had set off from our hotel earlier, as there was a bad traffic. When we reached the school, the principal and the teacher of the partner school welcomed us warmly, and had a picture  with us before leading us to an allocated room for a short briefing on Shanghai, and had a paper tower making session. After that, our dear buddies who rushed down for us straight from their lessons, and we self-introduced. We had some interactions with the students and had a tour around their school. We were also shown how 香包 and 粽子 are made. After the school immersion program, we made our way to Hai Di Lao for our lunch. Everyone looked forward for that meal, as we all know that Hai Di Lao is famous for their high quality service. When we stepped into the restaurant,  we were warmly welcomed and instantly brought to our seats. after we settled down, they immediately brought us hot soaked towels for us to clean our hands, and they even gave us and extra table to leave our belongings. As I brought my jacket down from the bus, I conveniently left my jacket hanging on my seat. A waitress brought a cloth over to cover my jacket to prevent it from getting dirtied. I was surprised by her thoughtful act. Overall, we all felt that the service staffs are friendly and helpful. They are also very attentive to our needs which makes dining there a very pleasant experience. After our meal at Hai Di Lao restaurant, we visited Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. At the centre, there is an enormous scale model of the city centre that takes up an entire upper floor.  It shows current and future development, and it’s mind-boggling.  There are raised walkways for viewing the model from different angles, and the detail is fascinating, showing clearly what’s planned, and what already exists. Shang Hai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall also have an 3 dimension model of the entire city plan displayed out. All of us were amazed by how detailed the model is. 

Day 4 

This was the last time we are visiting Shanghai Nanyang High School, learning from our mistakes, we set off earlier from our hotel. Upon reaching, we were invited to see how the students carry out their usual morning exercise routine. We were amazed how orderly they got into their positions in the parade square, and we decided to join in the exercise. We could hardly keep up with the speed of the routine but we had a great time. After that, we were separated into groups to attend their lessons. The students listen attentively to the teacher and stood up without any hesitation when called upon. After that it was time to say our final goodbye, as we make our way to Oriental Dreamworks company. We were briefed about how they create animations, the processes and some sneak previews of the upcoming Kung fu panda movie. At the later part of the day, we went to visit Fudan university, where we met our graduated Seniors. They led us on a tour around their school and also share with us some tips about studying and personal experiences. Through their sharing, we learned that foreign students are highly competitive. We must learn to work hard so as not to be overtaken by others. 

Day 5

This is a day that we are going to Hang Zhou. We checked out of our hotel, board the bus and begun our three hour long journey. Once we arrived at Hang Zhou, we notice vast difference between Shanghai and Hang Zhou in terms of environment and traffic. Besides that we also notice a lot of the same type of red bicycles around the city. Our tour guide told us that they were meant to be rented out by the citizens at a cheap and affordable price. The first stop in Hang Zhou is Zhe Jiang university. Unlike fudan university, Zhe Jiang university is mordern and have great facilities. The students there take designing as their first major and another subject as their second. The next place we visited is the Qing He fang Ancient streets. It is filled with shoppers and we were needed to squeeze  through the crowd in narrow streets. It has the same feeling as Cheng Huang Miao, traditional buildings with modern shops in it. 

Day 6

It was a great and exciting day. We first went to Yue Fei mausoleum, where we learned many things from our tour guide as he explained about the history of Yue Fei. Later, we went on a ferry ride in west lake. The scenery of west lake is the most amazing and beautiful place I ever seen in my life. The bird eye view from the lei feng pagoda was even better. I took many pictures form the top. Through the trip to west lake, I learned many things and facts about hangzhou example the tale about lei feng pagoda. 

Day 7 

Today is the last day we are gonna spend in China as a class. In this oelp trip, I believe everyone that participated have gain a certain amount of valuable knowledge. This trip to China exposed us to a different culture and environment, nurturing our social skill, cultural and leadership skills. In this trip we are arranged with different roles, creating a platform for each of us to display our leadership skills.  The most important of all, we have a chance to spend quality time with one and other, bond together and get to know each other even more. This is a once in a lifetime experience for every secondary two student. It is a fun and enriching journey, we visited many historical sites and learned many wonderful things that may help us in the future.In this oelp trip, I believe everyone that participated have gain a certain amount of valuable knowledge. This trip to China exposed us to a different culture and environment, nurturing our social skill, cultural and leadership skills. In this trip we are arranged with different roles, creating a platform for each of us to display our leadership skills.  The most important of all, we have a chance to spend quality time with one and other, bond together and get to know each other even more. This is a once in a lifetime experience for every secondary two student. It is a fun and enriching journey, we visited many historical sites and learned many wonderful things that may help us in the future.

OELP Overall Reflection- Chow Jiun Chyi

OELP Post-Trip Reflection

Overall Individual Reflection

After this fun filled learning trip to Shanghai and Hangzhou, I learned a lot more about China than I already had. Here are three things that I have learned about China during this trip.I have learned that the cost of living in China is lesser than that of Singapore’s, I also learned more about West Lake as well as Lei Feng Pagoda and lastly I learned about things that they do different or are different from that of Singapore.

I have learned that the cost of living in China is not as high as that of Singapore’s. We were brought to the supermarket to compare the prices of daily needs. There, we found out that most products sold at the supermarket were priced at lower price as compared to that of Singapore’s. For example, the Mentos sweet in China was only priced at around 30 cents in Singapore dollars. Moreover when we went shopping at the Chenghuangmiao, we observed that Starbucks in China were also lower priced than that of Starbucks in Singapore.

I have learned more about West Lake as well as Lei Feng Pagoda after my visit there. Before I went for this trip, I only knew West Lake as a lake located in Hangzhou and I did not even know that Lei Feng Pagoda is located near West Lake. But after I went there I learned a lot more. West Lake is a fresh water lake and there are islands located in the lake; natural and man-made islands. There is also a bridge built on the West Lake called the Broken Bridge. I learned that even though it is named Broken Bridge, the bridge is not broken at all. It is only named Broken Bridge because there was a family whose surname is Duan. They lived at the end of the bridge and thus they named the bridge as such. Lastly, I learned a lot of things at Lei Feng Pagoda. It was named Huangfei Pagoda at first as it was built to celebrate the birth of Huangfei’s son by King. However, the pagoda collapsed in September 25, 1924 and then it was rebuilt to what it is today. There is a display of how the collapsed Lei Feng Pagoda look like there too. These two tourist attractions can allow me to further understand the rich history of China.

In Singapore, rice and sugar are sold in packets and we have limited choices. And meat is either frozen or in designated stalls with someone to give you the amount you wanted. For example rice is sold in either 1kg, 2.5kg, 5kg or 10kg. However when we were at the supermarket in China, I saw that the rice, sugar and raw meat was placed in a large and shallow wooden crate and you could take any amount that you liked. I think that it is quite unhygienic but it is rather an interesting idea as it does not restrict you to buy only a certain amount. Another difference is that they have a separate lane for motorcycles and bicycles unlike Singapore. I think this is a great way to reduce traffic accidents as most accidents involve motorcycles.

Proposal to suggest improvements to preserve Singapore’s natural environment in the face of urbanisation:

 

One improvement I would like to suggest is that we should adapt China’s idea of providing bicycles for the public to use at a cheap price. The bicycles in China can be used once they swipe the card and it will end the time of use after they swipe the card once more and park it by a bicycle stand. I think that this will help preserve Singapore’s natural environment as providing bicycle use at a low cost enables us to decrease the use of cars and thus decreasing the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere which would harm the natural environment. So I think we should use China’s method of providing bicycles to the public at a low cost to preserve Singapore’s natural environment.

 

Another improvement I would like to suggest is to build more parks instead of more commercial buildings. Even though commercial buildings are important I think that we should also build more parks. In China, we went for a morning run at the park near the hotel, we also went to the West Lake and viewed the flora and fauna there. I felt that this was also a way to preserve the national environment as in the lake an entire eco-system exists, and the plants and trees provide oxygen in exchange of carbon dioxide which aids the preservation of the natural environment. Moreover the park can also become a tourist attraction for them to view the scenery at the park; killing two birds with one stone. Thus, I feel that building more parks in Singapore will help to preserve Singapore’s natural environment in the face of urbanisation.

 

In conclusion, I think that we should implement China’s method of providing bicycles to the public at a low cost as well as building more parks in Singapore to preserve the natural environment.

 

RV Trip Advisor

Location: SSAW Hotel Boyang Shanghai

Rating: 4/5

I loved the ambience of the hotel. There were a lot of wooden sculptures as well as paintings and vases which decorated the lobby of the hotel. The lounge at the lobby is very comfortable as there are couches for us to sit and it was good for us as we could use the lounge area as our debrief area. The hotel room had was brightly lit however it was not sound proof and there was not enough space to move around. The stair way was also quite dark. And thus I rate it 4 out of 5.

Location: Fudan University

Rating: 5/5

It was very insightful as we were shown a different kind of environment. There were different departments for different classes. We also learned that the university was very huge that the students had to ride scooters and bicycles to travel from one place to another. I was very surprised to realise that the RV senior at Fudan University was my Wushu senior and thus we had more to talk about. She also told us that the students there were very hardworking and competitive showing us that in order to do well in this society, we need to work harder. And although the facilities there are not very high-tech, they are still able to nuture outstanding students.  I think that the future trips should include this university as this shows to us a different kind of environment and it tells us that we should work hard.

Location: Chenghuangmiao（城隍庙）

Rating: 4.5/5

Chenghuangmiao is a temple located in Shanghai, within the old walled city.  There was a big long shopping street beside the temple.The prices of the items sold there are relatively reasonable, and we are able to bargain with the shop owners for cheaper prices.  There was also a wide variety of items sold.  However, we think that the streets were too busy and people were pushing us about.  It was quite uncomfortable to look at the shops when we were walking along the streets.  Furthermore, some of the people were smoking despite the fact that there were signs showing not to smoke. Therefore, we had a hard time breathing.

Location: Hangzhou Vina Hotel （杭州维纳假日酒店）

Rating: 3/5

We stayed at Hangzhou Vina Hotel for 2 nights.  The hotel's room is big and comfy.  There was enough space for us to walk around.  The toilet is also up to standard.  However, there wasn't wifi in the room.  We had to go to the lobby for wifi in order to contact our parents.  The lobby was quiet and it was rather scary to go down alone.  The chambermaids did not vacuum the floor as well.  There was soon dust accumulating on the floor after a night.  We even received prostitute cards every night so we thought that was pretty weird as well.

Yue Fei Mausoleum 

Rating: 3.5/5

A trip to the Yue Fei Mausoleum will leave you feeling accomplished as a Chinese. The place of worship depicts the contributions of Yue Fei and two of his loyal followers.The mausoleum is the place where General Yue Fei and his son got buried, hence making it more meaningful. Along the walk to the tombs, you can also appreciate the works of traditional Chinese calligraphy as well as the beautiful flowers. This is definitely a must-go place in Hangzhou.

Bund and Lujiazui

Rating: 5/5

The scenery from the Bund of the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone was picturesque. According to Max's trip from a long time ago, the view from the bund seemed different. Back then, the city wasn't that bustling and crowded like what it is now. The river that can be seen from the bund was relatively empty back then compared to the river now which is filled with boats for tourism and trade. This is mainly due to urbanization of china and the fact that china is opening up more of itself to the world.

Lei Feng Pagoda

Rating: 4/5

because it consists of rich history. There is a legend about 白娘子 being trapped under the Leifeng pagoda by Fa Hai the evil monk. The people in the past took one brick from the pagoda day by day in order to free 白娘子. I fell in love with the Leifeng pagoda as the story of the white snake legend really appealed to me. In the pagoda, I felt the legendary love deeply and it left a deep impression on me. From the peak of it, the scenery of West Lake loomed into our eyes as we breathed in the fresh air.  However, there were too many people on the top level and it was hard to move around freely as there were limited spaces. 

West Lake 

Rating 5/5

The most famous attraction in Hangzhou is West Lake. Hangzhou's West Lake Scenic Area, in the southwest of the city, covers 60 square kilometers, of which West Lake itself occupies 5.6 square kilometers. We were all amazed the beautiful scenery of West lake even just by looking at it from the bus window. When we reached there we took a ferry ride across west lake. I felt that it's the most amazing site that we visited in China. On the ferry ride, our tour guide told us some interesting facts about the lake. He mentioned that the lake was extremely muddy and dangerous, there was a guy who accidentally fell in to West lake and was never to be found again. Besides this, we could also see the broken bridge. According to legend, Broken Bridge, which is not really broken, but is a traditional arched stone bridge, is the site where two lovers, Xu Xian and a beautiful maiden, who is actually a white snake, met and fell madly in love. In early spring, when the snow begins to melt, it melts on one side of the bridge first, due the fact that the other side is in shade, which gives the bridge a split image. Viewed from a distance, it looks as if one half of the bridge has been ripped off, since the snowy side blends perfectly in with the surrounding landscape, hence the bridge's name. 

OELP Daily reflection of Si Min

DAY 1: We departed from Singapore to Shang Hai via flight SQ 832. After reaching Shanghai Pudong Airport, we met up with our tour guide, 黄导 at the pick up area and we left to have our first dinner in Shanghai. During our bus trip to the restaurant, 黄导 explain some of their Chinese history and culture. On our way there, we were mesmerized by the buildings as they were lighted up by the building lights.  There was even a building that had a rainbow-ed lightings. At the restaurant, I was able to taste the famous 小笼包 for the first time and tasted some of the dishes which was similar to my home-cooked dish. We realized that we were the only ones in the restaurant. 黄导 explained to us that restaurants usually closed at 8pm. After dinner, we headed to our hotel and rested in preparation for the next day. I was surprised that I was not too homesick on the first day and it was a pleasure to be sleeping with one of my close friends.

DAY 2: We went to tour around the places of interest in Shanghai. The first place we went was Chenghuangmiao. The Chenghuangmiao is a temple located within the old walled city of Shanghai.  We were given a few hours to shop in Chenghuangmiao. I bought most of my gifts from there as they were relatively cheaper than those we can find in Singapore. We had a great time bargaining prices with our mighty bargainer, Yiki. She could slash the prices to half and below. How cool is that! Following that, we went to the picturesque Bund. The Bund, extending for 1.5km on the shore of the Huangpu River, is an emblem of Shang Hai.  A total of 52 tall buildings of various heights tower over the river along the western side of the Bund, displaying modern world architecture. We took a lot of group photos there. Next, we drove past the French Concession, which was directly opposite the Bund.  It was a tall and big westernized building.  However, we were not allowed to visit it. After which, we headed to Book City.  It was a seven-storied book store, with millions of books ranging from Chinese language to foreign language.  There were hundreds of albums ranging from Kpop to Epop. I bought one of the EXO album there and it was cheaper by $14 than the one in Singapore. Next we went to the Nanjing Road Pedestrain street.  The Nanjing Road is the main and one of the world's busiest shopping street. We were also given some time to shop at Nanjing Road.  However, we realised that the shops in Nanjing Road were not street stalls like those in Chenghuangmiao.  They are well-known brands such as H&M and Forever 21 etc. Therefore we did not buy a lot of things as they were not really affordable for us and it was more expensive than what we can buy in Singapore. Today was a shopping spree for us and to buy things at a relatively cheaper price is awesome!

DAY 3:  We woke up earlier in order to make it to our partnering school, Shanghai Nanyang High School in time at 8.30am.  However, due to some delays and traffic jam, we only reached the school at 9am.   Despite being 30 minutes late, the Teacher In Charge of the exchange program , Mr Lu did not show us the annoyed or impatient face instead he warmly welcomed us to the school and brought us to the conference room. He told us to wait for a short while as our buddies were still having their lessons.  Once the school bell rang, our buddies entered the conference room within minutes, smiling and ready to introduce themselves. After some interaction with our buddies, they had to go back for their lessons so they reluctantly waved good bye to us and left.  Shortly afterwards, the vice principal of the school addressed us. Mr Lu showed us some videos concerning Shang Hai to deepen our knowledge about China.  He even served us some biscuits and drinks and brought us on a mini school tour. Mr Lu showed us their new school ground which was still in construction. After returning to the conference room, a physics teacher came. He gave us a small task: to build the highest tower with only one piece of A4 paper without glue and staplers. The tower must be able to hold ping pong ball on top. My friend and I won the highest tower award. Soon, the students' lesson ended.  Students rushed into the conference room and it was total chaos. However they were fast in settling down and gave us demonstrations on how to make 香包.  Through this activity, we were able to interact and bond closer with our buddies. About one hour later, we had to leave the school.  We unwillingly boarded the bus and left for lunch at a famous restaurant called Hai Di Lao.  Hai Di Lao is renowned for its excellent and hospitable service.  When we arrived,  the waiters asked if we needed more seats and helped us put our bags at the table next to us which could be used to host more customers.  At the toilet, the waiter also pumped soap for us on our palms and also served us a clean towel to wipe our hands and face. This service is one of a kind and we rarely encounter with this kind of service in Singapore. After filling our stomachs, we paid a visit to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall.  There were many model-like buildings of every building in China in the exhibition hall including the Huangpu river. The tour guide introduced us the history of how Shanghai modernized and urbanized.  This visit to the exhibition tells me how fast Shang Hai is developing and I felt that as Singaporeans we cannot lose out to china or even feel superior even though we are a developed country. It also deepened my knowledge on the history of China. 

DAY 4: This is the last day we're visiting our partnering school. We were brought to the same conference room like yesterday. We were instructed to put down our bags and go to the parade square to watch the daily morning workout the students had to do.  We were fascinated at how they managed to run to their respective places promptly in an orderly manner. They quickly spaced themselves out and began their exercise. After much encouragement from the teachers, we went to try out their exercise too. After performing our 立化情to them, we attended an English lesson with the students. We realised that the students were very attentive and they answered the teacher's questions without hesitation when they were called. They were given an English name to enhance the lesson to be in an all English communication. In Singapore, we could not help but used singlish in every lesson. We should learn from them. During the lesson, a guy sitting in front of us turned around and told us that they went through this lesson beforehand. Upon hearing this, I had mixed feelings. Although I understand that they wanted to show us their best side, I sort of felt cheated and could not help but think this is a setup. 所谓“天下没有不散之筵席”。Soon, it was time we left. We waved good bye to our buddies for the last time and left reluctantly.  After that, we went to one of china top universities, the Fudan University.  We waited for some time before our seniors studying in Fudan University arrived.  She brought us around the school for a tour.  She explained to us about the school's different facilities and buildings. Along the way we saw many bicycles parked outside every area we go. This is because Fudan doesn't provide shuttle bus services in the school campus. Thus, they have to use bicycle as their mode of transport. Our senior, Boon Kee told us that if we were ever to study there, we have to let our bicycle become rusty so that no one would steal. We also met a previous Dunman High senior.  Fudan University's facilities are not very new and modern but Fudan is still able to maintain as one of the top universities in China.  This indicates that the result of every student is not because of the facilities the school provided but the determination and effort put into their studies. The senior said that the students in Fudan University, especially those that are China citizens are all very hardworking.  They can be seen studying once the classroom opens at 6 even when lessons start at 8.   The seniors said that in order to not fall behind too much, they have to be extra hardworking than the china citizens.  I realized that if Singapore continued slacking in our studies, China would surely catch up. By then, our jobs for Singaporeans would be replaced by China citizens and we will lack behind.  Thus, we have to start and discipline ourselves since young in order to prepare ourselves for the competition in future.

DAY 5:  This is our last day in shanghai. After taking our luggage up on the bus, we proceeded on a 3 hour bus journey towards Hang Zhou.  Once we reached Hang Zhou, we were asked to observe the roads on the bus.  黄导said that we will be able to spot many red coloured electric bikes on the roads as they are out for rent at cheap prices to the public.  This is a Eco-friendly mode of public transportation. He also told us that Hang Zhou has instilled traffic rules so the traffic is not as messy as that in Shang Hai. We went for lunch then after that we departed for Zhejiang University.  A student representative from Zhejiang University welcomed us and led us to a room where other teachers and the principal of the University deliver a speech about the university.  Then we had a tour around the university on the bus.  I was awed that even though the university is only partially available for use right now, it was much bigger than Singapore's NUS maybe thrice bigger. The University has many brand new facilities.  For example, there were many running tracks and even a three storey high canteen.  After leaving the university, we headed to Qinghefang Ancient Streets.  We were given one hour to wander the streets by ourselves. The shops were like the ones in Chenghuangmiao but they were older. Afterwards, we had our dinner at a restaurant where we were able to taste Hang Zhou delicacies which is noodles.  The noodles were making me drip my saliva. I had two bowl of noodles which was not enough as there wasn't ample noodles for everyone. After dinner we had to say good bye to our current tour guide, 黄导 as another tour guide will take over him for our tour in Hang Zhou.  We were greatly thankful for his guidance these few days as we were able to gain a lot of knowledge about China through him. Although we did not showed too much respect to him on the first day by sleeping or talking on the bus while he was taking,  he bear with us and slowly guided us through the whole shanghai trip. For this, I am deeply grateful. I would never forget his guidance. 

DAY 6: Today we were able to depart from the hotel at 9.30am which meant that we could wake up at 8am. When we heard this, we were elated.  Firstly we went to the Yuefei Mausoleum. The tour guide gave us a detailed explanation about the temple and lead us through the entire temple.  The temple were full of Yuefei's contributions, handwritings, tomb and how he was framed and killed etc. The tomb of his son and the tomb of his capable assistant was beside his tomb. What amazed me was that there are 4 statues kneeling down in front of the tomb of Yuefei. The tour guide told us that they were the ones who framed Yuefei.  There was a sign above them that read "请勿吐痰". This shows that the Chinese really hated the 4 traitors. Previously, they must have spat on them to show the hatred and detest for them. The statues were even thrown into the West Lake before and later hauled and caged to prevent history from repeating itself. We visited the West Lake.  We board a ferry to view the West Lake scenery. On the ferry, we were told that the West Lake is extremely muddy. There was once a guy fell into the lake and never resurfaced again. As the ferry moved on, we could see the Leifeng Pagoda. We were also able to see the Broken Bridge from the ferry. The Broken Bridge is not broken.  It was just named 断桥as there was a family named 断 that lived under the bridge last time.  After alighting the ferry, we strolled around a park.  We visited the Leifeng Pagoda and had to climb a lot of stairs to reach the top. From the peak, we were able to wow at the scenic West Lake.  We were given one hour to explore Leifeng Pagoda and even buy souvenir. Next we went to another part of the Qinghefang Ancient Street to shop. This part of Qinghefang is newer and we can shop for more teenage stuff. After a haul, we proceeded to have our dinner. After dinner, we set off to watch the long awaited show, “西湖之夜”。It was magnificent and we enjoyed it very much. It was a awesome sight seeing day that I can't remember to forget.

DAY 7: Today is our last day in China. Time sure flys by quickly when we are having fun. We boarded the bus with our luggages back to Shanghai. After reaching shanghai, we visited the Qibao Ancient Town.  The tour guide told us that this street will be extremely crowded so, to prevent us from getting lost, we are not allowed to wander around by ourselves. It was extremely squeezy and we had to squeeze our way through to an old bridge. We were able to view the old architectures and trees from the bridge.  As we are short of time, we could not cross over to the other side of the bridge. After that, we left for Tianzifang. However, the items sold at Tianzifang are quite expensive. After shopping, we went to Shanghai Pudong Airport, which marks the imminent end of the trip in China.  We said goodbye to our Tour Guide. We are also very thankful for his guidance this 3 days in Hangzhou and Shanghai.  We unwillingly boarded the plane back to Singapore.  Although the trip has ended, I am certain that all of us have a lot of memories we had create and remember forever. 

OELP Daily Reflection- Swee Leng

Day 1- We arrived at the Changi airport to depart for Shanghai. While waiting for the appropriate time to enter the departure gate, we played with each other. Soon, we were in the plane. We were told that we could not change our allocated seats in the airplane, and luckily for me, I was seated with my good friends. We had our lunch inside the airplane. We then arrived at the Shanghai Pudong airport after 5 hours. The first thing we did after leaving the airport was to eat our long-awaited dinner. It was our first meal in Shanghai. As we were seemingly the last few customers of the restaurant before it closes, we were able to laugh and talk without taking the other patrons into consideration, since there were almost none. "大家吃！" The rice in Shanghai was stickier than the rice in Singapore, but the dishes were almost the same. After dinner, we went to the hotel. On the way to the hotel, we saw some of the beautiful night scenery in Shanghai and many of us quickly took our cameras out to snap a photo. In the hotel, we had a short debrief and were sent to our allocated hotel rooms to spend the night.

Day 2- 城隍庙街 was our first stop. We visited the temple of 城隍 and were told the story of his achievements by our tour guide. I learnt about rules in places of worship, for example, when we enter them, we are supposed to enter by the side doors instead of the main one, and we have to go over the step in the entrance instead of stepping on it. We then went to shop on the street behind the temple, and were given free time to do so. The rule was that we were supposed to go in groups. I had fun shopping on the streets as we bargained for a drop in the prices with the street vendors. I had learnt the key to bargaining is to tell the vendor that you would not buy their goods after they reject the prices you offered. The vendors would then give in to you as they would not want to lose customers. We then went to the bund to look at Lujiazui. It was a magnificent sight with the Oriental Pearl Tower and lots of other unique architects. We took many shots there too.  Next, we went to 上海书城. It was a huge buildings that sells all sorts of different variety of books. There are 7 huge floors, which made it impossible to finish looking at all the books and consider what to buy. I managed to buy a book. We went to the Starbucks located at the 2nd floor after we finished scanning through the books. We then went to Nanjing Road to shop again, but since the things there are expensive, we did not buy a lot of things. This reflects Shanghai's high cost of living.

Day 3- Our first visit to Shanghai Nanyang High. We were warmly greeted by the principal and a teacher. We then met our buddies and interacted with them. However, the moment was short-lived  and our buddies had to go back to their classes. The teacher in charge then took over. Our minds were injected with new knowledges about the traditional school with rich history. The teacher also introduced Shanghai to us. Next, we attended a lesson on how to make the tallest paper towers. It was fun and enriching. As 端午节 is approaching soon, we were shown on how to make 香包 and 粽子. The students demonstrated the steps to make them for us. Our visit soon came to an end. Next, we went to 海底捞 hotpot to settle our lunch. The service there was very good, and we had a whale of a time there as a chef came to perform for us on the slimming of noodles. 海底捞 indeed live up to their reputation. 文庙街 was our next stop. We were not allowed free time as the old street was deserted since it was not a weekend. The people there worship 孔子 and follow 儒家思想. Finally, we went to the Urban Planning exhibition hall. Seeing most of Shanghai laid out in 3D models in front of me had left me amazed. With the lighting in the models, the sight was spectacular. 

Day 4- Our second and last visit to Shanghai Nanyang High. We were led to see the whole student body do radio morning exercise. They were very orderly. When the teachers urged us to join in to do the exercise too, our class lined up in a mess and I stood there under the scorching sun, dumbfounded. The exercise routine was new to me, and the speed of the transition had me crazy. We completed the exercise awkwardly. After the student body leave the field, we pulled our buddies out to sing 立化情 to them as a token of appreciation for their kind attention to us in the 2 days. We attended lessons with our buddies next. It was a fun experience. We then went to the oriental dreamworks studio with the teacher in charge as a field trip, thus greeting farewell to the school. The oriental dreamworks studio was a lot of fun as we walked around to see the production process of the cartoon. We then ended our immersion with our partner school. Our next destination was Fudan University, where we would have our own RV senior take us around the university. We were introduced to places in the school, and I thought that the difference between a university and a school was really great. The senior also have us tips on studying in RV which were really useful.

Day 5- We went to HangZhou by bus. Upon reaching HangZhou,we went to Zhejiang University. Zhejiang university was very modernized and huge. We went to the design and technology studio, and were given a talk on the topic. We then took the bus and was shown all around the school. After that, we went to Qinghefang to shop. We did not buy many things as there were little that caught our eye.

Day 6- We went to 岳飞庙 to take a look. The place is special as Yue Fei was buried there, along with his son. I learnt that Yue Fei had two loyal follower that stood beside him in battlefields. Yue Fei's back is carved with the words 精忠报国 by his mother. His great contributions are still remembered until now. Then, we went onto a boat to explore 西湖. The West Lake is really beautiful and calm. From there we could see the Leifeng Pagoda hidden in the midst of vegetations. Next, we went to the Lei Feng Pagoda. It was very tall, and the view from the top of it was spectacular. We could see the West Lake and houses from there. The temperature there was also very cooling. After that, we went to Qinghefang again as we couldn't finish walking it yesterday. The Qinghefang street was very long. At night, we went to watch a show named 西湖之夜. The show was great and exciting. 

Day 7- We went back to Shanghai early in the morning. On the way back there, we visited 七宝老街. It was very crowded and we were unable to walk by ourselves in small groups. The street was bursting with life as it was a weekend. Next, we went to 田子访 to shop. The design was quite ancient. We were unable to buy many souvenirs as most of us were already broke by the last day of the trip. Then we went to the airport and greeted our tour guide farewell. The whole trip was fruitful and fun.

OELP Daily Reflection- Chow Jiun Chyi

Day 1

I chose to go for this trip as I wanted to experience something different, unlike Singapore. I was always told that Singapore is very clean and safe. This makes me wonder, what is it like in another country. I hope to learn more about Shanghai and Hangzhou's economy, culture, history and way of life. Which may differ greatly to that of Singapore's. Moreover, this trip can also enable me to bond more with my classmates and enhance my communication skills in Chinese by conversing to the students in China. I intend to let the people near me know more about shanghai and Hangzhou's culture and history. I would also like to use my experience from this trip in my daily life like hopefully speaking more fluently in chinese ore working more efficiently in a group.

Day 2 

Today we went to Chenghuangmiao, Shanghai book city as well as Bund and the French Concession. Chenghuangmiao attracts more people to visit it and so increasing the sales of the entrepreneurs and resulting in higher profits yielded. This plays a role in their success. Chenghuangmiao caters to the different crowds and their needs by providing a variety of shops, like fore example shops with traditional items being sold and shops selling earrings and caps.

Bund and French Concession- Iconic buildings are to let the certain country be recognized, to let this country be know. These buildings are representative of Shanghai. This is because it shows the olden and the modernized Shanghai. One of Singapore's iconic building is the merlion. Shanghai book city is a seven storey building. The books were mostly Chinese but there was a portion of foreign language books as well.

Day 3 

Today is the first day we went to Shanghai Nanyang High School we also went to Hai Di Lao, Wenmiao road and the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. In 

Shanghai Nanyang High School we had attend a science lesson on making paper towers and we were shown 香包 and 种子are made. Similarities and differences i haves observed are that the school hours are around the same but they are still using chalkboards while we are using whiteboards. Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall had the entire city's plan for all to see, it is made up of 3D blocks, pieced together to form the entire plan. We also went to Wenmiao road. The price of things there is lesser than that of Singapore's. The cost of living in Shanghai is thus lesser than Singapore. But i do not think lower prices are the only aspect that concludes whether the cost of living is higher or lower. There are other factors like the environment, economy and the population of the country.

Day 4

It was the last visit to Shanghai Nanyang High School. The first thing we did there was to watch the students do their 体操. We were awestruck by how orderly they were. Soon it started and we were asked to join in. It was quite embarrassing as I have never done anything like this before. And it was very fast and hard to catch up but since they have been doing it everyday it seemed like a piece of cake to the students there. After that we sang the 立华情 to our buddies to show our gratitude for their time and effort spent on helping us. Then we attended a lesson with the Chinese students. I attended an English lesson. They were very attentive during the lesson and answered the questions immediately after they called. We then had to judge the advertisements shown by the students and give the best group the magazine. Soon, we had to leave Shanghai Nanyang High School. We went to Oriental dreamworks. We saw all the hard work poured in to make a simple bucket look real, we saw all the hard work poured into making a film. Then we went to Fudan university where we met one of our RV seniors. She shared with us about her life in Fudan University and away from home. She shared that the students in China are very hardworking and competitive. I used to think that Fudan had high technological facilities. But after the tour led by our ex seniors, her explanations of the school, i have a mixed feeling. She shared about the positive and negatives points of the school. Their facilities are not as high standard as we expected. The seniors mentioned about the tables and chairs in guang hua Lou was the best ones. For a university, their facilities are not that great yet they can nurture great outstanding talents. This shows that facilities are not everything.

Day 5

We went to Hangzhou by bus and then went to Zhejiang University. Zhejiang university is currently smaller than NUS in size but they have yet to complete the building of the university. Two key components of modern industry design- technology and culture. They have 5 campuses and nearly every major has a library.

Day 6 

Today we went to the West Lake, Yuefei Mausoleum, leifeng pagoda and Qinghefang ancient street. We went to Yuefei Mausoleum first. At the tomb of Yuefei there were statues of generals, horses, dogs as well as other animals. We were told that this signified the rank of the general. And there was also people kneeling in front of the tomb. They killed Yuefei and thus were 'punished' by kneeling down in front if Yuefei's tomb forever. Singapore also has our national heroes like Dr Goh Keng Swee. After that we went for a boat ride around West Lake. And we were told the broken bridge is not broken. It was just named so because there was a family which surname was Duan living at the end of the bridge. Next we went to Qinghefang ancient street. The Chinese government chose to preserve this street as  it has historical value, it shows China's history. Singapore has preserved ancient streets too, for example, Chinatown. 

Day 7

We travelled from Hangzhou back to Shanghai. Then we went to Qibao ancient town. When we went there is was bustling with activity, there were a lot of tourists as well as locals shopping there and it was very packed. There, all sorts of things were sold, jewelry, 臭头腐, snacks, caps, purses. There was also a bridge over a river there in the ancient town. There is a need to preserve this ancient town so it would be possible to learn about them, learn about their culture, their ancestors, as well as their history. After that we went to Tianzifang. There were a lot of shops which sold things that looked handcrafted or are very exquisite. There was also a art showroom.