Grace:
The 7 days in china was not a waste at all. I had learnt many things such as from cultural studies, to history of china and also a very important thing, to learn to bond with my teachers,friends, and even the friendliest tour guides I have ever met!
Firstly, we went to school immersion. This was one of the enjoyable activities in china as we get to meet friends around our age and can understand each other. I realized that we have our similarity and also differences. We all have fun with each other,have inside jokes and they also do play and have social life like us. However, the difference is that ,most of their time in school are spent studying. They do not have CCA like us, instead they study and have slightly more subjects than us. Hence, their stress level will be more than us. They also have many between-lessons activities such as eye exercises and running 800m. They do this everyday as a school without fail and I think it is really very unique. Their school atmosphere is really different from us and I think China's one seems more special! The students there were very active and outspoken when I realized that everyone in class actually shout out answers and want to answer a specific question that the teacher asked them. Looking back, in Singapore, our teachers had to call out register number to find someone to answer it. Therefore, after going to school, I think we Singapore students should reflect, and be more enthusiastic during lessons and be proactive in answering questions to learn, and not being inactive
Secondly, we went industrial visits to iFly technology and meiling refrigerator factory. From the iFly technology office, we went to a room to see the modernized technology such as new phone apps that allow more conveniency for you to use the phone. They also had introduced many new and creative gadgets that I never seen before. Such as a karaoke tv,and a car that you can control the gps and the radio just by talking. These gadgets are slowly being introduced to the economic industry and from the officer there,he said that there are a lot of people using these gadgets especially the phone applications. From this, I think that china is slowly taking ideas and inventions from other countries such as the Siri from iPhone, and trying to build up on it and make it better for china's economic benefits. I feel that china isn't as conserved as before in the Qing dynasty that I had learnt and I think it is a new lesson learnt! Also the meiling factory, we saw that the workers there were very efficient at the same time,very well taken care of. There were banners that says "be careful". This shows that the company is also looking out for the dangers the workers might face and trying to remind them to be vigilant. The tour guide also told us that some machines were shipped from western countries such as Italy. This shows that china actually obtained help from foreign countries to help themselves in their business and economic.
Thirdly, we went to many historical sites. Ranging from former residences of famous Chinese historians like 李鸿章，包公 and people who has the surname of 胡, to ancient villages like 西递，宏村 that was well preserved. Although the time of each person is differed and the place was also not the same, however,the culture is still the same. They all cherish water as if it's gold and sliver. They all have many rules and values to teach their descendants and future generations down,such as filial piety and loyalty and more. This shows although china had made the effort to improve and adapting things with other countries, they still preserved the culture in china and he values that should be implanted in every Chinese mind. Also, the houses in the olden china days were very different from houses now. China had changed the houses however preserved the important historical ones probably so that we can visit and understand.
Lastly, we went to huangshan. This was the most spectacular visit and mountain I have every went. It was really beautiful! The mountains were all big and grayish brown and it looked like heaven on earth. It was not a waste hiking for 8km up to the top! On the way, I saw many type of trees and they were amazing too! There were love lockets to where couples throw the key of the locket down the mountains after they locked it around the bridges to show that the locket will never be open and the love will never be lost and the couples will never be separated again. I really enjoyed huangshan trip. The scenery was very breathtaking and the weather was cooling, not too cold and warm. I think if we come to visit huangshan in different seasons of the year,the scenery will be very different,and I hope I can come during winter to see!
The trip in china was fantastic! I learnt many things from different perspective but I realized that china was slowly developing to modernize themselves and learning from other countries. At the same time preserving the historical sides that they wished to convey the message, which is the values the historian possessed, to us to learn. Hence, while developing, they still hold on to their culture which is a very special thing about china I had learnt. I enjoyed my trip totally.
Xin Yi:
This is my first OELP trip with
RV. Though the trip to Anhui, China lasted for only seven days, I learnt quite
a lot during this trip.
Firstly, the trip provided a
platform for building friendships - friendships established between my China buddy
and I, and also amongst my friends who went along on this trip. Let me start
with my own friends. The trip was a rare occasion for spending time together
with my classmates. Before the trip, I thought our class bonded well with
occasional get together or school activities amidst our hectic amount of tests
and school work. I thought that our class might never have a chance to bond
better before we change classes next year. However, this trip proved me wrong
because I got to interact with many classmates which I've never engaged in an
interesting conversation before and also I learnt more about their personality
and even spent great times taking pictures together. This trip gave me the
opportunity to build and value the friendships I have with my friends which was
made possible due to the amount of time we spent together, from dawn to dusk,
engaging in the various activities which required us to interact with each
other. It was also heart-warming when some of us fell ill due to the demands of
the trip and had our classmates offering help from alerting the teacher to
tending to the sick one with tender loving care. Moving on to the friends I
made in China. It felt surreal to be able to have friends from another country
3,835km away from where I am living. Even though we only met for two days, I
learnt to change my perspective of how the Chinese were. I used to think of
them as arrogant and unfriendly people. Through this trip I realised I was
totally wrong about them. They were friends who held my hand and brought me around
the school, giving me detailed explanation when I didn't understand anything in
their classes. I felt like we were old friends who were reunited and the two
days I spent with them made me learn so much more about the people in China.
Secondly, I learnt about the
rich culture of China. We went to the Lihongzhang residence and Baogongci
residence where I gained knowledge on China's history and culture. I've always
learnt amount China's culture in books, in school and in television shows but
being there to learn and experience how it feels like to be walking on the old
ground, touching antique furniture, was something new. From these two places we
went, I learnt that even though during the olden times in China when corruption
was a huge problem, there were still people like Baoqingtian who valued justice
and righteousness and stood up for the people who were innocent. I then
realised that the honesty he advocated was actually the values instilled and
taught to us since we were young. He upheld those values and implemented it in
all his actions hence gaining the trust in the people. I learnt from
LiHongzhang that even though there were still Chinese that disliked him after
China’s loss in the 1894 Sino-Japanese War, many still respected him for his
success against the Taiping Rebellion, his diplomatic skills in defending
Chinese interests in the era of unequal treaties, and his role pioneering
China's industrial and military modernization. From the culture and heritage in
China, I learnt about the way the people there used to live and how they upheld
their beliefs and morals really seriously and that was something that many
people lacked of these days. It was time for us to learn from them and apply
these moral values into our daily lives.
Lastly, I learnt about the
ancient places in China and it is something really new to me because Singapore
does not have such places. Dramas about the culture of China in the past were filmed
in these places and it was really overwhelming to be there to see and experience
what we could only see on TV shows in Singapore. When I was there, the
buildings in the olden days which were preserved made the atmosphere really
crisp and clear. It felt as though I was teleported back to the old days and
though there was no significant advancement in technology then, it awed me how
the people managed to live in such harsh conditions and how we could do that as
well and not always rely on technology.
Through this trip, I learnt a
lot about the technology in China, people there, culture in China that I could
never experience in Singapore. It was really surreal that the 7 days passed
with a flash but I felt that I gained a lot of knowledge and context that I
would not have gained just within the context of my school books. It was an enriching
experience.
Gerald:
Firstly, let me start with the high-speed rail. We boarded the high-speed rail. It helps to ease transportation on the roads and provides convenience for the commuters. It also allows people around the world to get businesses transaction done and get to workplaces faster,hence,with a good transportation system, it would play a key role in boosting the economy of China.
Terry:
From 25 May 2014 to 2 June 2014, I went on a school-organised overseas trip to Anhui, China with my class and three teachers. This was a highly anticipated trip for all of us; we had all been looking forward to it since when we were first told about it the previous year. That was the first time I went overseas without my parents, and it was also so for many of us. Therefore, we were forced to become more independent during the trip. Even though there were teachers present with us, we knew that ultimately we were responsible for our own safety. This let me grow much in maturity. During the trip, we visited many cultural areas and the contrasting modern and high-tech places. This enabled us to understand both the history and advancement of China. We also visited a school for an immersion program. To me, that was the most memorable. We got our first glimpse on how education was like in China. One thing I took away from that area was how hardworking and diligent the students were. Their curriculum is packed and they have a full day of school from early in the morning to the late afternoon. Yet, they managed to cope with what they were learning. Honestly, this changed my impression of China having a relatively lower standard of education. I learnt that they are catching up very quickly in terms of many areas with developed countries like the United States and Singapore. From this trip, I found a greater love for China and its people. This program also made me understand how important it is to maintain ties with our neighbouring countries so that we may learn from each other and succeed in our pursuits. I now have a deeper understanding of what China is/