The OELP trip proves to be the highlight of the learning journey for Year 2 students in RVHS. To the knowledge-seeking students, this trip would have been fulfilling in every aspect. This was an experiential learning trip and learning came to us by way of engaging all five senses. It wasn't just an ordinary field trip on which we gathered statistical data for "beaten-track" analysis. Instead, it was opportunity for some in-depth advanced studying of the vast plains of learning in Anhui, China. There were chances for us to form our own hypotheses, set out to discover and draw our own conclusions. Learning could take place any time during the trip, especially for people who have not visited Anhui!
However, in these less developed areas of China, we saw its desire to improve, to advance and to connect. Industrial visits to places like Meiling and iFly technology gained us an insight to China's journey to become a first world country, I saw their strangely familiar products. They were incorporating bits and pieces of "foreign" ideas, like a fridge with a tablet installed, and a voice control programme operating in Chinese.
Finally, the last few days were spent in modern Shanghai. Skyscrapers gleamed in the sun and we saw gigantic business chains and familiar names. These, I felt was a good view of the wonderful results of China's acceptance of "foreign" ideas. Other countries were no longer counted as "foreign" to China. They were friends. They were people whom China works with, helping each other to improve.
The latter has helped China reach the success it holds today. If there's only one thing i had learnt from the OELP, it's that we should keep our friends close. As the saying goes, "No Man is an Island". We need each other to reach our fullest potentials. This is what I conclude out of the experiential learning that took place over the 7 days.
GRACE GUAN YA XIN
CID reflection
The 7 days in china is 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!
Day one, we reached shanghai in the midnight,so we were all tired but at the same time hyped up with the new and strange environment around us. We took the bus and while we were on the bus, the tour guide, 小马哥were introducing us to shanghai. We were at shanghai pudong (浦东),and he said that at shanghai puxi (浦西) is the more modernized area of shanghai. As he said this,I looked out of my bus window,I saw and realized tat in the pudong area, it doesn't look as modernized like usual Singapore roads and houses where there are many cars and high rise flats or condominiums. He also said that shanghai has the most economic growth in the whole of china,where there are many modernized things in the city and not the slightly rural areas. However,in the end,we did not get a chance to go visit the more famous places in Shanghai which is a bit disappointing. But we went to even fascinating places in 安徽 which is think is also very interesting and full of interesting histories and facts!
So embarking on a journey to 合肥,we took the high speed rail there after our first night in shanghai. The high speed had totally given me a knock off! Before boarding the high speed rail,when the security guards were checking on the tickets,they were very efficient and although there were tons of people,it seems like we didn't spend a long time squeezing through people and most of the people were all organized and did not create a ruckus like I thought it would be before coming to china. Also,they have provided us with water so that we will not feel thirsty during the journey. I think it is very thoughtful of them,and even though it would be super busy for them to organize the train and people,they still managed to take care of our well being which I think it is very thoughtful and respectable of the management of the high speed rail of china!
On the high speed rail, it is very cooling and quite modernized such that it is clean and the seats were cushioned and was very comfortable. The train was very long and I saw that it can carry a lot of passengers from city to city within china. I think the high speed rail had proven to me that china is modernizing as the high speed rail is a factor that help economic growth. This is because the introduction of high speed rail allows traveling between cities in china more convenient. People would not need to spend a lot of money and a lot of time as compared to them traveling by airplane. They can travel for business more conveniently which is a very important contributions to China's economic growth. Also,I heard that the high speed rail are able to carry cargos thus, shipping of goods will be easier and convenient and cheaper.
After reaching 合肥,we had lunch and moved on to our next destination : ifly technology. 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 tat china isn't as conserved as before in the Qing dynasty that I had learnt and I think it is a new lesson learnt! After this industrial visit, we went to have dinner and back to our hotel to rest!
Second day at 合肥! We first went to school of an exchange program! 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 likes,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 cool. Their school atmosphere is really different from us and I think China's one seems more unique! 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. After the school immersion, we went to 李鸿章故居. It is a place where the former Qing official lived in when he was still alive. Looking inside,it is preserved quite well,where the roofs,floor tiles,walls and some pictures were taken care of very well. It is very big and there are many different rooms for different purposes. There is a living room,a room for the daughter and more. Each room have their specific culture like the daughter's room, the daughter have to abide by the rule where they cannot step out of it unless she is going to get married. There are also many well to collect water and this is because of the culture that Chinese in 合肥 view water as gold and silver as rain is very common there,so they are proud of it. And by collecting them in the well, it is showing how 'rich' they are. There is also a idiom to describe this : 肥水不流外人田. This former residence of lihongzhang is very big in my eyes. However, the tour guide said that this is only 1/10 of his real house. A phrase : 李家半条街, so it is actually very big. During the tour in lihongzhang's former residence, they had shown us the life of him,what did he do to help china. I had learnt that lihongzhang had many contributions to china,such as introducing western ideas to help china improve and to create an army to help in the revolution. However,he had his flaws too and had created problem for china too. Bit I think he had helped china more than he had harmed china.
Day 3 in 合肥,we went to school again and it is our last day there. We were sad as we still want to hang out with our friends but everything, must have it's end. We exchanged gift with each other and took pictures. Although it was only a short 2 days, I think I had learnt a lot from china students. Their active personality and their passion for studying makes me feel motivated to study better in Singapore too. I will never forget them and the thing I had learnt from them. Afterwards, we went to 包公祠 and 包公墓. This is the place about 包公and I had learnt a lot of lessons and qualities from him such as his fairness and justice. I felt that this serves as a motivation for the Chinese present, for them to stay fair and impartial, not to let greed corrupt them and the country.
Day 4, we took the bus and went to 三河古镇. Just like the name, the place is very old and well preserved. The houses were still ancient and was not modernized just like the rooftop we had seen : it was pointed and there were stories behind it. There were also many water sources like lakes there. This was a benefit for the people at that time as they relied on water transport for business and communication to make a living. I had seen that this place is well preserved with very less technology and wifi. I was wondering how can those children and people survive there,with no air cons, with no internet, with very poor signal televisions. How can they still live there? And feel so contented with it? Then I realized that I should reflect on myself that maybe we have too much and we have to appreciate them. If they had what we have now, I can guarantee that they would be so much more grateful than us now. It is a shame to see us like that and I had learnt to be more appreciative. After the visit at 三河古镇,we went back to our bus, and off we go to the long awaited destination: 黄山！
Day 5, after reaching 黄山 the previous day, it was late hence we did all the necessary preparations and turned in early that night. We were supposed to climb the 8km! I was excited. When we reach the mountain, we first took a bus and a cable car up to a certain point, and then we started to use out legs to climb up physically. It was very tiring and at a certain point, we have to use our hands and legs to climb simultaneously. However! Look around us, the scenery was very breathtaking, it seems like you went to a new planet and universe, far away from the city and the stressful life back in the real world. It seems like heaven on earth! The mountains all have their names and rocks and cliffs that looks like some character or animal were named after them, such as 猪八戒 etc! These names also showed me the culture of china, that the people use those names to call a mountain. This can show us the importance of it to the Chinese. Many poets came up here and wrote poems for us. This was significant as Huangshan can provide ease and peace for poets to get inspiration and write a fantastic poem. Also as a personal reflection, the climb bonded our class as we encouraged each other throughout and I am so grateful for them.
Day 6, it was the second last day there and we set off to 宏村，西递. Those are old villages that were well preserved. It was old but it contains many historical information. Some houses inside were once lived by famous businessmen in that area and we had learnt how did they plan their lives and how were the things like in the past. It was pictured very clearly and I understood their lives better. We went to 老街 afterwards, I enjoyed it a lot as there were many food and souvenirs there! Surprisingly,those souvenirs were quite traditional such as some of the keychain were made out of cloths and were sewn by hands. Also they sell calligraphy pens and at first, I thought that they were already off the selling list but they were still sold here! The Chinese's preservation of their culture is definitely very overwhelming and influential!
Day 7, it was the last of the last day of over OELP trip and I was definitely not looking forward to it. Before we went to the airport, we went to 牌坊. It is something like 2 long poles with a big stone wall on top, carved with words that shows what that person had achieved. Mostly that were featured was about filial piety and also loyalty to china. These walls were not demolished yet and I think they want to use them to inspire people till now!
OELP was memorable and I love it a lot. There is definitely more things to improve but it was the best to me too! Thank you to the teachers,tour guides, and my fellow classmates that made this so much fun!
THOE 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.
Day One: Reaching
Shanghai close to midnight, what I expected was immediate check in to hotel;
contact my parents bathe and then sleep. I had to admit that my mind was pretty
much blank when I reached the airport at Shanghai, as I didn’t sleep at all. I
was exhausted and all I wanted to do was to get some rest even though deep in
my mind I was bubbling with excitement that I couldn’t contain. On the bus to
the hotel, we were introduced to a tour guide who was going to guide us around
China for our next 7 days. His name was 小马哥 and he was a really friendly guy. Despite the
ungodly hour, he was filled with energy as he gave us a little background about
Shanghai and also a self-introduction as well. I realized the difference
between China and Singapore when I looked out of the window. The airport was
different, and the advancement in China was significantly greater. The highways
were well paved and it was a smooth journey from the airport to our hotel. I
felt really disappointed when we were not allowed to take a tour around
Shanghai before we headed of to Hefei the next day. Well, what awaited us was
even more fascinating. We took the high-speed rail from Shanghai to Hefei and I
have to admit that I was really impressed by the advancement of technology in
China. Getting into the train was really smooth and I have to say that the
workers there have really fast efficiency and that was a definite plus. I was
even more awed when I realized how comfy and spacious the seats were. The
3-hour train ride to Hefei seemed less dreadful with the comfortable facilities
to keep me cozy till I reached my destination. It was even better when we were
provided drinks to remain hydrated and I felt really pleased with the train
facilities. The windows allowed me to take a peek at the advancing economy in
China. The flats in China had solar panels installed above the roofs to reduce
the amount of electricity spent just showed how China was advancing in
technology to be eco-friendly. It also then dawned on me that China technology
was also a factor that Singapore can learn from. The technology and facilities
here attract tourists and how such facilities allow a boom in China’s economy
as well. The distance between one district to another was really long and
people had a difficult time trying to travel from one place to another in China
and this advancement in technology gives the people a better standard of living
and also convenience as well. It was a plus as well when people do not have to
spend extra money on airplane tickets when they could be saving much more and
also having more comfortable arrangements as well. Hefei was a new place I have
never heard before till the recent OELP trip and I have been mind blown by the
advancement of technology in China and how much Singapore can learn from it. We
headed to the iFly Technology as soon as we alighted and that was where I
finally accepted the fact that China has been advancing really quickly based on
technology. iFly Technology had lots of facilities to prove China’s advancement
of technology. Mobile phone applications, which were further improved from
iPhone’s Siri and a car system with multiple functions to help drivers be able
to accomplish things hands free and it was definitely something thought in the
perspective of a driver. I felt that these technology advancements were really
user friendly and going to iFly Technology to try out these technological
facilities made me even firm on my stand that Singapore has to start to learn
and adapt from China.
On the second day, we went to the school immersion program and it was
really awkward but also interesting because normally when we travel to other
countries, we are not allowed to visit the schools there but in this case we
did. It felt surreal to be able to have friends from another country 3,835km
away from where I am living. When my buddy 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.
They made me feel like I was part of them and they way that their education
system and facilities work are also different. I did realize that the students were given some time every
morning to do eye exercises before the lessons starts and this reduces the case
of myopia within the class and it was obvious that few students in the class
wear spectacles. The board that the teachers use are blackboards so this
minimizes the amount of reflection coming from the board and also reducing the
amount of students having to wear glasses as the blackboard hardly reflects any
light. On the other hand, Singapore schools uses whiteboards, which causes a
lot of reflection and resulting in the cause of myopia in students. From this
simple aspect and routine, we could actually learn and adapt from China and
implement this small act to reduce the pupil’s eyesight, for the students’
benefit. I felt that these were things that Singapore could learn from China.
Though I couldn’t really understand the things taught in the lessons, I did
take note how the attitude the students carried while studying. The students
will voluntarily raise their hands to answer questions and also remain alert
and attentive during the lessons. This is something rarely seen during classes
in RV even though we are attentive during classes, we hardly raise our hands
and answer questions. I think this is something that we should be trained and
nurtured on as well as I personally feels that it stimulates us to solve
questions that we are not sure of and also gives us an opportunity to learn to
speak in front of a group of audience. We went to 李鸿章故居 next. It felt new because I had never
been to a historical site in China. I had to admit that I did not really enjoy
listening to the culture and heritage but I found it amazing how the old
buildings and furniture were preserved at such a good conditions. Even the
uneven floor tiles brought out the olden atmosphere as well. The architect of
the house also gave us some insight of the culture of China in the past. In the
olden days, people believed that rain symbolizes money and that the rain should
be collected in their own houses and not supposed to be leaked out or that
meant that they were losing money. Some of the beliefs may sound ridiculous now
but it is actually an eye opener to find out how the mindset of people who live
in the olden days. The trip to LiHongZhang Residence not only allowed me to
notice the culture of people in China but also the fact that even though people
who are famous have their own faults as well, they had major sacrifices and
contributions and important values that we should learn and apply in our daily
lives.
Third day started
really suddenly and sadly because we were about to see our China buddies for
the final time and it was a major shock how we only got to know each other
within two days! 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 realized 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. Still we had to bid goodbye and
we exchanged gifts to remember each other. I found this really meaningful and
though it was really sad to say our farewells, we still did anyway and they
would be etched in my mind for as long as I can remember. We then went to
Baogongci Residence to understand more about the culture and values in the
past. 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
realized 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. It hit me that 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.
Day four was a trip to 三河古镇 and just the names says for itself. The place was
really old and I did not enjoy it but the scenery there was breathtaking. With
a lake in front of us and some ducklings swimming across the lake and the
silent yet calming atmosphere is definitely an overwhelming experience and it
felt really surreal. It was something you definitely can’t find in Singapore
since we don’t have such beautiful mountain nor a place where nature seems to
be at its best so I found it really special and unique. The shops there sold
various artworks that the people there do and also the crafts that they handmade.
Railroad maglev train
I learnt about the high speed rail.I feel that it is necessary for China's development as given China's large area,it is important to have an efficient and modern mode of transportation.This would allow people to move from place to place faster and make more economic activities could be done in the country.It also shows how developed and modernized china is and this factor will certainly attract tourists.
The industrial visits to Haier and creative allowed us to learn more about their technology.They have truly advanced in terms of technology from last time and have been successful because of adopting and learning certain things from other people.They set out branches in other countries.This would allow them to work together,exchange ideas and learn from each other's strengths.This shows how having good relationship with other people benefits their technology and economy.Singapore could make use of the land and cheap labour there to make money whereas China could sell these land and take in some profits of the sales of the products.
Visits to BaoGingCi Park/Former Residence of LiHongZhang/San he gu zhen/hong Cun village,Mt HuangShan
The visits there allowed me to learn more about China's culturea and heritage.It shows how much China has invested and how much they respect tradition while they are modernizing.Having these sites reminds the Chinese public about the values they should have.For example,Bao ging reminds the people of the values they should have.(Honesty,righteousness,justice).It also allows them to redeem themselves as countrymen and learn about their roots and learn from their forefathers mistakes and achievements.It also gives them a source of income as the tourists would pay money for a tour around the historiocal sites.For example,we had to pay for the tour and the entrance fee in HuangShan
Hefei School
Hefei is one of the well-known educational hubs of China.It can be seen from the attitudes of the Chinese students.They are disciplined,enthusiastic and passionate about learning.They react quickly in classes and listen when they are told to.They hand in their work on time without fail.These shows how China will grow as they would have a highly efficient and educated workforce in the future for its economy.This shows that investing in the education is benefitting China.
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