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.

OELP Daily Reflection- Choong Yong Xuan

DAY 1: Today we departed from Singapore to Shang Hai via flight SQ 832. Upon reaching Shanghai Pudong Airport, we met our tour guide, 黄导游 and we left to have our dinner.  It was my first time having a meal at Shanghai, so I was extremely curious about how the food will taste like.  On our way to the restaurant, we passed by the Bund and we were amazed to see the night scenery of the Bund.  All of the buildings were lighted up beautifully by the building lights.  There was even a building that had a rainbow coloured light decoration.  At the restaurant, we were able to taste some famous Shanghai delicacies such as the 小笼包.  It was extremely delicious.  After dinner, we headed to our hotel and rest.  

DAY 2: Today we went to the main places of interest in Shanghai.  Firstly, we went to the Chenghuangmiao.  The Chenghuangmiao is a temple located within the old walled city of Shanghai.  We were given some time to wander about Chenghuangmiao.  We shopped leisurely, and bargained with shop owners for cheaper prices.  Following that, we went to the 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, looking like a museum of modern world architecture.  I was very fascinated by the scenery I saw at the Bund.  Next, we went past the French Concession, which was directly opposite the Bund.  It was a tall and big westernized building.  After that, we went to Book City.  It was a seven storey high book store, with lots of books ranging from Chinese language to foreign language.  I was amazed by the size of the book store.  The books were sold at a reasonably cheap price too.  Next we went to the Nanjing Road Pedestrain street.  The Nanjing Road is the main shopping street in Shanghai and is 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 streetshops like those at Chenghuangmiao.  Instead they were famous brands such as Baleno, H&M etc.  Therefore we did not buy a lot of things as they were all what we can buy in Singapore.  Today was more of a shopping spree that all of us greatly enjoyed.

DAY 3:  Today we woke up earlier in order to make it to our partnering school in time at 8.30am.  However, due to some delays, we only reached the school at 9am.   Despite being late, the Teacher In Charge at Shanghai Nanyang High School was not impatient.  Instead he happily welcomed us to the school and brought us to the classroom.  He told us to wait for a moment as our buddies were still having their lessons.  Once the school bell rang, within minutes our buddies entered the classroom, with smiles and curiosity smeared on their faces.  After some interaction with our buddies, they had to go back to class, so they reluctantly waved good bye to us and left.  After that the vice principal of the school gave us a speech.  The teacher in charge, also known as Mr Lu gave us some videos of Shang Hai to watch for us to deepen our knowledge about China.  He thought we were perhaps restless and served us some biscuits and drinks.  He even brought us on a mini school tour. Soon, the students' lesson ended.  Plenty of students rushed down to the classroom and gave us demonstrations on how to make 香包.  Through this activity, we were able to bond closer with our buddies.  Not long later, we had to leave the school.  We unwillingly boarded the bus and left the school.  We went for lunch at a famous restaurant called Hai Di Lao.  Hai Di Lao is famous for its good service.  When we reached there, the waiters asked if we needed for seats and helped us to put our bags at a nearby table which could be used to house 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.  This service is definitely praise-able.  Lastly, we went to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall.  There were many modelled like buildings of those at the bund for display at the entrance.  The tour guide explained to us the history of how Shanghai became modern and urbanized.  There was this part of the exhibition that shows a tiny structure of the entire Shang Hai modern city.  It was indeed very fascinating.  This visit to the exhibition shows me how fast Shang Hai is developing and it broadened my knowledge on the history of China.

DAY 4: Today we also went to our partnering school for a last visit.  When we reached the school, Mr Lu welcomed us again as well.  We were brought to the same classroom as yesterday and we were instructed to put down our bags and go to the parade square to witness the daily morning workout the students had to do.  We were amazed by how they managed to run to their places immediately in an orderly manner.  After that we attended a lesson with the students.  My group and I attended an English lesson. We realised that the students were very attentive and they answered the teacher's questions without hesitation.  Soon, it was time we leave.  We made our final good byes with our buddies and we left reluctantly.  After that, we went to the Fudan University.  We waited for quite 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.  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.  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.  The seniors said that in order to not fall behind they have to be very hardworking as well.  This clearly shows me that without hard work, you won't have any good results.  

DAY 5:  Today we left the hotel early with our luggages and proceeded on a 3 hour bus journey towards Hang Zhou.  Once we reached Hang Zhou, we were asked to observe our surroundings while on the bus.  The tour guide 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.  In order words, it is also a form 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 but we still have to be careful while crossing the roads.  We went for lunch then after that we departed for Zhejiang University.  There was a student from Zhejiang University that welcomed us and led us to a room where other teachers and the 院长 of the University gave us a talk about the university.  Then we had a tour around the university on the bus.  I was amazed that even though the university is only partially available for use right now, it was still bigger than Singapore's NUS.  The University has many good facilities.  For example, there were many tracks and even a three storey high canteen.  After we left the university, we went to Qinghefang Ancient Streets.  We were also given time to wander the streets by ourselves for a while but I thought it was rather boring as the items sold were all very ancient, as the name suggests.  Next, we had our dinner at a restaurant where we were able to taste Hang Zhou speciality, which is noodles.  The noodles were very delicious.  After that we had to wave good bye to our current tour guide, 黄导游 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 new knowledge about China through him.  

DAY 6: Today we were able to depart from the hotel at 9.30am.  Firstly we went to the Yuefei Mausoleum.  Over there the tour guide gave us detailed explanation about the temple and lead us through the entire temple.  Something that caught my attention the most was that in front of the tomb of Yuefei, there are two statues of a pair of couple kneeling down on the floor.  Their facial expressions seem as though they were very guilty.  The tour guide told us that they were the ones who murdered Yuefei.  There was a sign above them that read 请勿吐痰.  This shows that the Chinese really hated the couple and previously they used to spit on them to show the hatred they have for the couple.  After the temple, we visited the West Lake.  We rode a boat to cross the West Lake.  On the boat, we were told that the West Lake is extremely muddy and once a guy fell into the lake and was never seen again.  From the boat, we could see the Leifeng Pagoda being surrounded by the vegetation.  We were also able to see the Broken Bridge from the boat.  Suprisingly, the Broken Bridge is not broken.  It was just named 断桥as there was a family named 断 that lived on the bridge last time.  After the boat ride, we took a stroll around a park.  Then we went to the Leifeng Pagoda after lunch.  We had to climb several flight of stairs just to reach the top of the building.  From the peak, we were able to view the entire West Lake.  We were utterly amazed by the beautiful scenery.  We were given some time to enjoy the magnificent view from the Leifeng Pagoda.  Next we went to another part of the Qinghefang Ancient Street to shop as many said yesterday's one wasn't fulfilling.  This time, I managed to find more things to buy as the that street was some sort of newer.  We had a great time shopping there and I even managed to try China's bubbletea.  However, we met quite a few mad men on the streets and some of us were quite shocked by their actions.  After dinner, we headed back to our hotel.  Today was a great sight seeing day that we all enjoyed.  

DAY 7: Today is our last day in China.  We dreaded this day the most but still, time has to pass.  We boarded the bus again with our luggages back to Shanghai but in between, 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 will not be able to wander about by ourselves.  The street was indeed very busy.  Shop owners were shouting at the top of their lungs to attract customers.  It was extremely crowded and we had to squeeze our way through to an old bridge, where we could be able to view the scenery.  We were able to witness the old architectures and trees from the bridge.  Next we left and continued our journey towards Shanghai.  After having lunch in Shanghai,we went to the Tianzifang.  Tianzifang is a well-known area for small craft stores.  However, the items sold at Tianzifang are quite expensive.  Hence, I did not buy anything from Tianzifang.  Instead, we went out of Tianzifang and shopped around.  There was a shopping centre nearby and we went there instead.  It was my first time walking in a shopping centre in China so I was really amazed.  I observed that there isn't a lot of difference between a shopping centre in Singapore and in China.   I even saw a Bata outlet, which is common in Singapore, in the shopping centre.  However, as the shopping centre is currently under renovation, most of the shops at the upper levels were all closed.  After shopping, we went to Shanghai Pudong Airport, which marks the end of trip in China.  We reluctantly waved good bye to our Tour Guide, Mr Dai. 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 pretty sure all of us have a lot of memories we will remember forever, new knowledge about China, and lastly, new friends we have made.