Trip Advisor

The Bund
Rating 4/5
The view was spectacular, and we really enjoyed it. We could see cool buildings like the Oriental Pearl Tower. We feel that the buildings might appear better when it is nighttime.

Book City
Rating 3/5
The variety of books was large but we found it rather difficult to buy the books because everything was in Chinese and all the books were Chinese. For foreign tourists who don't speak Chinese at all, the bookstore would not appeal to them at all.

Yuefei Mausoleum
Rating 4/5
We learnt a lot about General Yuefei there. We recommend not stepping too near the four statues though as they used to get spat on by the Chinese.

Haidilao
Rating 3/5
The food was all right but the service just was not desirable.

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre
Rating 4/5
We learnt about china's urban planning, which we found very interesting.

Gerald's REFLECTIONS

Day 1
Today marks the start of our OELP trip. All of us gathered at Changi Airport in our orientation tees. I was counting the days to this trip as it is our class' first time to go overseas together as a class. Very soon, we bid farewell to our parents and took off to China. We were all chatting, watching movies while enjoying the impeccable service of the Singapore Airline flight stewards/ stewardesses. Upon arrival, we met our friendly tour guide, 黄导游. He gave us a brief, yet detailed explanation about China and its population, during our journey to a restaurant for dinner. After dinner, we went back to the hotel to have a good rest.
Day 2
We went to visit the Finance and Trade Zone, the Book City, the Bund, 城隍庙 and the French concession. After visiting the above mentioned places, we learnt about how China has modernized over the years. In the past, there were never such tall skyscrapers and much less a huge building dedicated solely to books. The view of the landscape of the city at the Bund was simply breathtaking. China is undoubtedly comparable to Singapore in how far it has advanced.
Day 3
We went to Shanghai Nanyang High School today to have an immersion programme with the local students. The teacher firstly told us about the school and its facilities and upcoming plans. Later, their students came in and interacted with us, teaching us how to make 香包 and 种子. It was a fun experience, getting to know how the teachers conducted lessons and the high school life of the students there. For lunch, we went to the much awaited 海底捞. It truly lived to its name of having great service. The waiters and waitresses took the initiative to ask if we needed help, and even emptied an extra table just to put our bags. Lastly, we went to the urban planning exhibition hall, and saw a 3D, miniature version of Shanghai.
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 amazed by how orderly they were. We were told to join in but it was pretty awkward and the rhythm 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. It was an English lesson, and despite the students being unfamiliar with the language they still tried their best to answer the questions. Later, we went to Oriental dreamworks. We saw all the products of tireless editing and modification, to make lifelike models. Then we went to Fudan university where we met one of our RV seniors. She told us about the facilities and life in Fudan, where the environment is very competitive, and everyone is desperate to succeed. Although the facilities are not very good, Fudan is still able to nurture talents.
Day 5
We traveled to Hangzhou via tour bus and visited the ZheJiang university. It was huge! We learnt that it was actually 5 different campuses combined to form one university. They have a very deep regard for technology, culture, and modern design.
Day 6
We went to the West Lake, and visited the Leifeng Pagoda, and Yuefei mausoleum. At the Yuefei mausoleum, there were many statues of people and animals, most importantly the status of those who betrayed Yuefei. We can tell that the Chinese detest the traitors as there are signs put up to prevent spitting. We also went for a boat ride around the West Lake, enjoying the scenic view and learning out the Duan Qiao, which is not actually broken, but because there is a family named Duan at the end of the bridge. We also learnt about the story of the white snake after entering the Leifeng Pagoda, and how the Leifeng pagoda once fell before.
Day 7
We went back to Shanghai. Then, we went to 七宝古镇. There were many people there, with many stalls selling all kinds of goods, ranging from food to clothing to jewelry. After that, we went to Tianzifang, where many handcrafted goods were sold. Finally we left China for Singapore.

Wienna overall reflection

Dear parents,

Thank you for trusting me to be able to take care of myself on this

trip to China, from Shanghai to Hangzhou. I appreciate the given

opportunity to gain more experience and knowledge on China, as well as

allowing myself to learn how to be more  responsible. China is very

different from Singapore and as expected, we saw many new things and

definitely learnt a lot from this fun-filled eye-opening trip.

26/5 (monday)

The first place was headed for was Cheng Huang Miao. I immediately

noticed how crowded and packed the place was for a temple. In

Singapore, our temples are for worshipping and sometimes are also

tourist attractions. However, we do not have shops and cafes in our

temple for people to walk around to buy clothes or get some food. It

was a very different experience as the place looked very modern but

very ancient at the same time. I guess this is how China keeps their

old places. The prices of goods were also cheaper compared to

Singapore. For example, the price of a Starbucks Venti in China was

the price of a Grande in Singapore. The snapbacks that our friends

bought at Cheng Huang Miao was half the price of the ones sold in

Singapore. We also visited The Bund after that and I was very glad to

have witness that spectacular view of the iconic buildings of

Shanghai. I was really hoping we could go in the night just to see the

lights, however, the view in the morning was just as breathtaking as

we could see the details of the buildings very clearly. We got to take

many cool pictures and jumpshots over there as well.

27/5(tuesday)

We visited Shanghai Nanyang High School on this day. We were greeted

by a huge sign outside the school saying “Welcome students and

teachers of River Valley High School”. Even though this was a very

simple gesture, we were all very amazed and touched by them. We were

led on a school tour around the school. The school did not have many

facilities as compared to our school, however, the students and

teachers still made us feel at home. We got to talk to some of the

students and they taught us to do some art and craft. I observed that

they do not have a canteen and all of them eat the same food in their

classrooms. They did not have the privilege to choose what they eat

everyday, unlike us. This teaches them to not be picky with their

food. My buddy that I talked to, also told me that majority of the

people ride their bicycles to school. In Singapore, most of us take

our parent’s cars, or trains and buses. Also, they take eight minutes

breaks after every forty-five minutes of lessons. We went to the urban

planning exhibition hall next and I felt very fortunate to be able to

witness the amazing and detailed models on the exhibition. I also got

to gain new knowledge of China which was very interesting.

28/5(wednesday)

We went to the Oriental Dreamworks studio and saw many cool scenes of

the new movies that are not out yet. We saw how hard the people there

work, no matter what kind of editing they were each in charge of. It

was a really cool experience. We then headed to Fudan University. We

were again being led on a school tour by our Rv Senior that was

currently studying there. We then had a question and answer session,

getting a rough idea of how hard the people studying in that

university work. The school was huge compared to Rv and had many nice

gardens and the learning environment is very conducive. We were very

lucky to have a senior in the school so we get a rough idea of what to

expect when we get to university anywhere, be it Singapore or China.

We still have to work very hard and this had motivated me a little. I

really respect our seniors who went from to China from Singapore as

they have to travel such a long distance and have to work so hard,

being very far away from their family.

29/5 (thursday)

At Zhejiang university, it was very different as there were more

facilities and the place was much bigger compared to Fudan university.

The field there was so huge and I got to witness the baseball people

training on the field. The facilities there were incredible. There was

a huge building and when I asked what that building was for, the

teacher that was giving us a tour told us that that was the staff

building. In our school, we have a staff room but theirs was ten times

bigger. We were very amazed and awed at the beauty of the school.

30/5 (friday)

On this day, we visited the yuefei mausoleum, a boat ride and leifeng

pagoda. The first stop was the yuefei mausoleum and we were told about

how yuefei and his army the southern Song dynasty from the Jin dynasty

up north. However, he was then wrongfully charged with a death

sentence at the end. Next we went on a boat ride on the famous West

Lake. It was a breathtaking ride as we got to see the beautiful

scenery of the lake. It is said that if u fall into the lake, you will

not be able to be found and saved as the bottom of the lake is mud and

you would be stuck and would be left to die. Lastly, we went to the

Leifeng pagoda. The pagoda was incredible and we got to make our

wishes there as well. We then climbed up to the highest level of the

pagoda and were mesmerised by the spectacular view of the west lake.

Even though we were quite far away from the ground, we still could see

the west lake very clearly and got to appreciate its beauty.

31/5

It was our last day in China and we headed back to Shanghai from

Hangzhou to go to the airport to catch how flight. However, we stopped

at the qi bao ancient town before going to the airport. That place had

been present for many years and has turned into a tourist attraction.

It was very crowded and we did not get to buy a lot of things as we

were in a rush and could not stop for too long. The prices over there

was also not very cheap and the things being sold there were very

average. After our short shopping trip, we headed for the airport. I

was very saddened to walk into the airport, knowing that it would be

the end of the Oelp trip with my fellow classmates. We have bonded

incredibly throughout the trip and I just did not want it to end. I am

very thankful to be given the opportunity to go overseas with my

friends and teachers, to experience and learn new things together. It

was truly a memorable trip and I would never trade it for anything

else. Thank you 2J 2014 and our awesome teachers for this great trip!

Yiying's overall reflection

THEME: 

PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS: PAST VS PRESENT

Although I did not go for the OELP trip, my friends have shared with me what they have learnt and experienced in China. Through their sharing, I have learnt some very interesting things about China that I never knew of.

Firstly, I learnt what happiness is to the people in China. 

My friends told me that most of the citizens in China are living happily, and that their main idea of happiness is building good relations with their families. Through some conversations with the students, my friends found out that the students hardly get to spend time with their parents due to their busy work schedules. This is why they look forward to Chinese New Year, the time when the whole family gets together.

It was after my friends told me this that I realised I was really fortunate to be able to spend so much time with my family every day. I should stop taking my parents' company for granted, and learn to appreciate their love and care that they provide me every day.

Also, the Chinese students are extremely studious, something I find standing in great contrast to us Singaporean students. They study very hard so that they can achieve their dream of attaining scholarships that would allow them to study overseas. This contributes greatly to the strong competition among the Chinese.

Singapore has many good local universities, so this means that we do not need to fight so hard for scholarships in order to get into good overseas universities. This explains why the competition among Chinese students is much fiercer than that among Singaporean students. However, we do not have an excuse not to work hard just because Singapore has good local universities, as we need to constantly improve to make our country develop and prosper. Besides, we need to have good results in order to get into our good local universities.

Secondly, I learnt that the happiness of the Chinese citizens is affected by the One Child Policy in China. The One Child Policy was implemented in 1979 to control the Chinese population.

Many students told my friends of their lonely experiences as a single child, and although I cannot fully understand and feel for them, as I have a younger sibling, I know that it can be difficult not having any siblings to grow up with. On the bright side, the Chinese might treasure their friendship with one another more, and might feel happier around their friends than we do.

I am thankful to my friends for relaying things that they have learnt to me, as it was through their sharing and presentations that I learnt so much about China even though I did not go for the trip.

Yoon Yee's overall reflection

25/5

We gathered at Changi Airport, ready to set of on our adventure to China. We said our last goodbyes to our families and headed off to departure hall. I was extremely excited and also nervous as it was my first time in China, taking a plane without my parents. I was told to take good care of myself, and was given many reminders on dos and fonts by my parents. After safely arriving in Shanghai, we were loaded onto the tour bus and driven off to a restaurant for dinner. My first impression was that the food there was quite like that of Singapore, but most classmates said that it was too oily. Oh well. Then we checked into the SSAW hotel. It was quite a nice, posh hotel but my two other roommates were "isolated" in a sense that our room was on the 12th floor while the others were on the 8th or 11th floor. It did not help that the lift lobby was eerily quiet. 

26/5

Sightseeing day! I got my first actual taste of China today. We went to Chenghuangmiao, which is a temple which expanded into a shopping complex with many shops. On our way back to the bus, we saw a white wall, with its paint peeling, concealing the old houses behind it. Then we went to The Bund, which is a viewing platform providing a good view of the Luijiazui Finance and Trade Zone.  We also got a good view of the French Concession. I was very excited as I read about this places in one of my favorite books, "The Chinese Cinderella". I could visualize the story happening there. Next we went to the Shanghai book city, which is a seven storied bookstore. After that, we went to Nanjing road, a popular shopping district in Shanghai. I was quite surprised that it was not as modern as I though it would be. 

27/5

We went to the Shanghai Nanyang High School. Despite the school being one of Shanghai's top, the school campus was not as modern as RV's. However, I think that the students there were very disciplined, as their teacher led them through the morning exercises. Also, the students were extremely attentive in lessons. Their English lessons, which I sat through was quite like ours, which shows that China's standard of English is not far behind ours. Next, we went to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition, where the highlight was the scale model of the entire Shanghai. I was blown away by the detail of the model. 

28/5

We went back to the Shanghai Nanyang High School for the last time. We sang the 立化情 for them. It was a very nice experience, as the buddies were so friendly. The teachers there also planned numerous fun and educational activities for us. After that, we went to the Oreintal Dreamworks Studio. I was quite surprised as I did not know that the Dreamworks company had this sub branch. Apparently, it helps Dreamworks to produce more "oreintal" movies, like Kungfu Panda. We got a sneak peak of a few scenes of the upcoming Kungfu Panda 3. It was an exciting and new experience. 

We went to Fudan University, where we met a few Singaporean students studying there. The campus was huge, grand and beautiful, with many trees and blocks of classrooms and libraries. We were told that the Chinese students there were extremely hard working, coming early to class just to study and revise. This serves as a reminder and motivation to work harder, so as not the lose out in international competition for jobs and other opportunities in the future. 

I used to think that the schools would have long long hallways filled with students and the many people playing basketball and sports.

While at fudan university i can see that the campus is extremely huge as the region we visited was only one part of it when it is already difficult to reach one side to the other side by foot as it will take a very long time. Also, i can see that the undergraduates there are very hardworking as described by the seniors there and very competitive too.

29/5 

We started to travel to Hangzhou first thing in the morning. The trip took 3 hours and most of us slept on the way there. We went to Zhejiang University. The campus was HUGE. HUGE. The designs of the blacks were unique and interesting. There were blocks of libraries, classrooms, lecture theaters, and sports fields, indoor sports hall, and so many tennis, basketball and badminton courts. There were also hostel blocks and shops on campus. The facilities were extremely modern. The professor In change of design gave us talk about the initiatives the University has taken to work with Singapore, to improve design and technology in both countries. 

30/5

We went sightseeing on the West lake today. First, went to the Yuefei Mausoleum, where he and his son are buried. Yuefei was wrongfully accused of crimes by four people, whose statues are found kneeling in front of his grave. There is a sign telling people not to spit on them, showing how much the Chinese hated them, as Yuefei was a loyal general. Next, we went on a boat ride across the serene and picturesque West lake. The lake was enormous, much bigger than I thought it would be. We had lunch before we went to scale the Leifeng pagoda, where famous Legend of the White Snake took place. To my surprise, the Leifeng pagoda was not the original. The debris of the original pagoda currently resides underneath the new one and many tourists throw coins into it wishing for good luck. Instead the original collapsed and the current one was built around it. I think that it is a clever way to attract tourists and yet preserve an important piece of Chinese traditional heritage. At the top of the pagoda, we took many pictures, as the view of the west lake was just too breathtaking. We can also see the Hangzhou skyline. In the evening, we went to a shopping street, where we bought many souvenirs and lots of food to eat.

31/5 

After breakfast, we left for shanghai to catch our flight back to singapore. En route, we stopped at Qi Bao Ancient Water town. It's is a small town, turned into a tourist attraction, with many shops selling different items. The town is built on a river, and the houses and shops are connected by bridges. The entire place was flooded with people, and we could not stop and take a look inside shops. Finally, we went to Tianzifang, a street selling various craftwork, souvenirs and sweets. It was our final chance to buy souvenirs before we headed straight to the airport for our flight back. 

In conclusion, I think that this trip has been extremely enjoyable and educational. I had a good time with my classmates and learnt a lot about China. I hope to go on such trips again. 

Wenping overall reflection

25/5 (sunday)

dear parents,

Thank you for sponsoring me for this OELP trip to shanghai and hangzhou. I hope to learn a lot of knowledge and learn how to be responsible for myself. Here in shanghai, i can learn a lot more about the city's history and culture like the peoples way of life and their customs. I hope to imply these knowledge learnt on subjects such as history, geography and social studies. 

26/5 (monday)

I was amazed by the number of people who are selling shoe skates and lasers by the streets as the pricers they are offering us are incredibly low and yet we can still bargain with them. This shows that these street vendors' profit margin is rather high. However shanghai, being a city with a high standard of living, their profits may not be enough to pay their rent and buy they everyday necessities. At chenghuangmiao, i was awestruck by the number of visitors that day as i had always thought that temples were just places of worship where few people goes. However there were quite a huge number of visitors there. While at the shopping area, i found out that the prices there when compared to singapore has minimal difference . Most likely due to it being a tourist attraction area. When visiting the bund, we can see the iconic oriental pearl tower standing in the middle of all the buildings. Which was pretty amazing and is one of the best experiences ive ever had

27/5(tuesday)

While at the immersion school, i realized that they do not have that many modern facilities and buildings as rv. I found out that they dont have a canteen and would consume their food in class. Also, they do not have CCAs , they only have pe in the morning and in between lessons.

While at the the shanghai urban planning exhibition hall, im amazed by how they designed and constructed the models to even the slightest details. It was an eyeopener.

28/5(wednesday)

I used to think that the schools would have long long hallways filled with students and the many people playing basketball and sports.

While at fudan university i can see that the campus is extremely huge as the region we visited was only one part of it when it is already difficult to reach one side to the other side by foot as it will take a very long time. Also, i can see that the undergraduates there are very hardworking as described by the seniors there and very competitive too.

29/5 (thursday)

While at zhejiang university, im amazed at the incredible size of it. Large open fields, parks and large administrative buildings. Also, their facilities comprises of 2 full sized track and fields, many basketball and volleyball courts , hostels with their own shops at level 1, 2 storey high canteen and even a hospital! A pretty good environment for the students there to enjoy their time there.

30/5 (friday)

Today's itinerary included the yuefei mausoleum, a boat ride and leifeng pagoda. The first stop was the yuefei mausoleum and we were told the heroic anecdotes about how yuefei and his army defended the southern Song dynasty from the Jin dynasty up north. And also how he was wrongfully charged with treason and put to death due to the cunning southern song dynasty advisor 秦桧 qinhui and other unloyal generals. At the temple there was a depiction of his mother tattooing in the four characters 精忠报国onto his back. Also, there were kneeling statues of the four people who caused his death, caged up and had signs saying not allowing the public to spit at the statues. This shows the immense hatred on these four people, who will kneel in front of yuefei and his sons tomb forever. Next we went on a boat ride throughout the westlake. We were shown around the beautiful lake and i was utterly amazed by the scenery as we cant find any of this back in singapore. Lastly, we were at the leifeng pagoda and how the spirit was released when the original pagoda collapsed due to the failure of its structure integrity. The debris of the original pagoda currently resides underneath the new one and many tourist thrown coins into it wishing for good luck.at the top level of the pagoda, we can view the entire lake. The view was mesmerizing and we can also see the city skyline from there. Overall today is a very fruitful trip as we learnt about the many origins of chinese folklore and history.

31/5 

After breakfast, we left for shanghai to catch our flight back to singapore. En route, we stopped at 七宝古镇qi bao ancient town that has been turned into a tourist attraction. The entire place was cramped up with peopl as the street was lined up with stalls and could only fit 2 or 3 shoulder to shoulder. It was difficult to catch up with our class as the often stopped to look at the tasty food and items the stalls are selling. Entirely, the place was not a very good location to visit as it is a very small and cramped up area, vulnerable to pickpockets. Also all the stuff sold there are not extremely special and could be found anywhere else. Finally, we reached our last destination : pudong international airport. I feel very sad to leave and i would miss the time spent with my class. The entire trip allowed me to learn about the history and culture of this part of china and it also exposed me to the dangerous environment outside the comfort of singapore.

CHINA DILEMMA

While the pace and level of China’s climb as an industrial power goes unmatched, the country has greatly surpassed the norm when it comes to pollution problems. Cancer is now the main cause of death in China. While hundreds of thousands of people a year in China die due to air pollution, almost half don’t have access to clean drinking water. Huge amounts of energy are required to sustain the growth of heavy industry, almost all of that comes from coal, which also happens to be the dirtiest source. The sun is rarely visible in some of China’s industrial cities, and lead poisoning causes sickness and death among children. The industrialization has also lead to water shortages that put farmland at risk of desertification. Since some cities don’t want their industrial growth hindered, they refuse to accept compulsory carbon dioxide emission limits. The rapid industrialization has taken a toll on China’s land, air, and water, a lot of which was already damaged by years of Stalinist economic planning that put an emphasize on urban areas establishing heavy industry. China’s industries use a lot more energy than those in other countries; by itself, the aluminum industry  uses as much energy as the nation’s commercial sector – which includes all the hotels, restaurants, banks and shopping malls – combined.

-Gerald