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

China's dilemma

China's economy skyrocketed for the past decade. Now, a world super power, country with one of the highest population and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. All of this is due to recent industrialization. Thousands of factories sprung up throughout China, powering its economy. In contrast, China's air quality levels has been deproving in the recent years. This is because all these newly built factories focus on economic growth instead of the general air quality and health. Harmful air pollutants or fumes are released into the atmosphere and liquid waste are dumped into rivers and lakes . They do these because it is cheaper to dump it without purification processes. This causes pollution and increased enhanced greenhouse effect which leads to global warming. 

 In the midst of improving the economy for a higher standard of living in the country, china neglected the fact that the air quality and pollution.

Wenping

Written Report on China: National Issues

2J CID Group 6 Written Report: China’s National Issues

How does China manage their national issues?

The national issues are pollution, overcrowding, and urban planning.

Pollution:

 

Many modern cities in China have their air quality index (AQI) above 100, at approximately 165 on average. This means that the air in China is very polluted. Harmful particles in the air called PM2.5 in china was found to be 156% higher than the national recommended standard, and 4 times the daily level recommended by the world health organisation.

The biggest contributors to the air pollution are the huge number of factories and vehicles, as well as the burning of coal for energy. 

The recent results show a decrease in the amount of drinkable underground water in china by 2% compared to 57.4% in 2012. If the quality of water is considered poor, it cannot be used at all as a source of drinking water, say china’s underground water standards, while water of relatively poor quality may be used for drinking only after special treatment. In April, cancer-inducing benzene was found in the water supply of the city of Lanzhou, which is considered one of the most polluted in the country.

How China manages it:

Environmental inspectors are imposing tough, new standards on thousands of polluting firms. They are also shutting down and punishing polluting firms. They only permit vehicles that conform to the tough fuel standards, but China does not have the technology to enforce its rules.

Overcrowding:

 

The housing problem has been one of Shanghai's most serious social problems. A survey in 1985 showed that nearly half of the city's 1.8 million households were in overcrowded conditions. 216,000 households had an average per capita living space under 4m²; over 15,200 of those households had less than 2m².

How China manages it:

The Shanghai Municipality implemented the Housing Settlement Project in 1987, to solve the city's housing problems.

Shanghai has resettled over 47,000 households living in houses under 2.5m². The municipality spent 1.8 billion 元 on the project, creating 1.8 million square metres of housing for overcrowded households. New residential areas have been built to accommodate the people.

Urban Planning:

There are namely 2 types of cities in china.

A hybrid city, which incorporates western planning and design principles meshed with traditional Chinese architectural concepts.

E.g. Shanghai and Tianjin

A global city, however, has densely populated metropolitan areas, corporate headquarters and national service stations, extensive public transportation systems, internationally networked airports, large-scale industrial zones.

E.g. Beijing and Guangzhou

Shanghai:

Shanghai is divided by the Huangpu River into Pudong and Puxi. In contrast to the colonial and historical sights of Puxi, the district of Pudong, lying east of the Huangpu River, is all about modern Shanghai. The old Shanghai with its major attractions such as Yuyuan garden and jade Buddha temple are located in Puxi, the west of Huangpu River. Pudong, however, is more modern, a fast-developing economic zone with mega shopping malls and skyscrapers.

Beh Yiying (3), Ho Yoon Yee (8), Wienna Koh (18), Chiok Wen Ping (25), Gerald Ong (26) from class 2J

Yoon Yee's reflection

Reflect on China's dilemma between pursuing higher economic growth and escalating pollution due to the industrialization. 

China's rate a industrialization is remarkable. However, the rapid economic development can't be supported by the environment for much longer. China's heavy traffic and burning of coal to produce energy cause aur pollution. China's most polluted cities have PSI levels of more than 500, and have ever exceeded 1000! Air pollution is blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year.

 Water pollution is also a big problem. Many factories simply dump their waste chemicals/discharge into lakes or rivers, polluting the water. The water is absolutely unfit for drinking, even after treatment. Nearly 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water. The Chinese usually drink bottled water, for fear that tap water is also polluted. In general, pollution is a major problem for China.

I think that China should desperately try to tackle this problem as soon and effectively as possible. Stopping pollution and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions will greatly improve the lives of the Chinese. It is definitely more important than industrialization. 

Yiying's reflection: China's dilemma

China is facing a dilemma between pursuing higher economic growth and escalating pollution due to industrialisation. 

To allow economic growth is to industrialise - to build more factories to manufacture goods in demand. These manufactured goods are exported to the other countries to be sold. More factories allow more goods to be manufactured and sold at a faster rate, which means China can get more profits. 

However, the building of factories is causing an increase in the emission of harmful gases which pollute the air. These gases affect the people's health and also contribute to global warming. 

China has to decide if it is willing to sacrifice the well-being of its people and the world for its economy, or if it decides to forgo its economy for the sake of the health of the people.

China's One Child Policy

This policy allows parents to only have one child.

Advantages:

1) parents can devote all their time to their child

They do not need to split their attention, and can better interact with their only child. All the free time they have can be spent with that child, so the child gets more guidance from and bonding time with their parents. 

2) parents can be less financially burdened with just one child

They do not need to provide for so many people; they can just focus on their child's needs. 

Disadvantages:

1) the child will be lonely without the company of siblings

He has to spend his whole life without a single sibling, and although he can have many friends, their company will never be the same as one of a sibling. 

2) the child may become a spoiled and pampered brat

With the full attention of his parents showered on him, the child may start to develop bad mindsets. For example, he may think that everyone should pay attention to him like his parents do, and that the world orbits around him. He may take everything he has for granted. Nobody will like him and accept him into the society.

Hot and cool trends in China and Singapore!

In China:

Because Facebook and YouTube are banned, the Chinese use their own Chinese networking sites: Weibo, Baidu, Youku, and QQ mail. They have their own Internet slangs, which are very interesting.

In Singapore:

Singaporeans speak very obvious Singlish, and they are very active in networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. They are obsessed with technological gadgets, and the young ones love to hang out at Starbucks.

GERALD CNY

Colour: RED

Red, as known to many, is one of the most popular decorative colours during Chinese New Year. It symbolizes good fortune and joy, which is why this colour is so commonly used. It is bright and vibrant, signifying a joyous, celebrative mood.

Symbol : Chinese zodiac signs

 

This used to excite me most when I was a kid, comparing zodiac signs with relatives and friends. It kind of feels like a representation of oneself, which I thought was pretty cool as it meant that I was a dragon (which in my opinion totally rocks). I first heard about the story about the animals when I was 8 or 9 and I was pretty disappointed and appalled by the fact that the dragon didnt win as it could even fly.

Image: Lion Dance

 

The Lion Dance is also a specialty of Chinese New Year or any other festive Chinese occasions. These skilled dancers will shock you with their ability to coordinate well with each other. It is usually a loud procession with the gigantic drums and all. I feel that these Lion Dancers deserve respect as they work hard practising their routine to perform for US.

Wienna's CNY

Colour: Orange 

 Orange symbolises mandarin orange and since it is a tradition to exchange mandarin oranges when visiting during the Chinese New Year, it symbolises the CNY.

Symbol: 

When the Chinese New year is here, people put up signs like this to welcome wealth, prosperity and happiness during the lunar new year and so to me, this represents the CNY! :) 

Images: 

This is family and to me, Chinese New year is a time for families to finally get to see each other, relax and bond together without the hectic work schedule and I find being together with your families during Chinese New year is very important. 

Yoon Yee's CNY

Colour: Gold

Other than red, gold is also a common colour seen during the Chinese New Yera period. Gold is seen as an auspicious colour as Chinese in the past used it as currency. 

Symbol: 福倒

This is a common Chinese New Year decoration, meaning that 福 is coming this new year. It symbolizes the wishes that people have for the new year, so I feel that this is an appropriate symbol. Huat ah!!!!

Image: Goodies

Of course, the celebrations cannot be complete without these yummy treats. There are always lots of these treats in every house you visit and I make sure I get a good helping of those. I love the pineapple tarts the best.

Yiying's CNY

Colour: RED

Red is the most commonly seen colour during Chinese New Year. It symbolises good luck and fortune. Seeing so much red around helps me get into the festive mood!

Symbol: RED PACKET

Red packets are often given out by the elderly to the younger generation, to give them well-wishes and blessings. I love receiving red packets as they contain money!

Image: LION DANCE

Lion dances are a must-see during Chinese New Year, as the agile 'lions' dance about excitedly, accompanied by loud drumming. I like watching lion dances with my relatives and family in Malaysia.

POVERTY IN SINGAPORE

Poverty around the whole world has been increasing through the past few years due to the increase in the standard of living. Many people have fell below the poverty line and have been suffering in the society. Most of which are the elderly people who are either too weak to work or doesn't have the requirements to apply for a job.

In Singapore , there's no minimum wage, thus many people are not earning enough to make ends meet and there is also and increasing number of jobless people. From the chart above, we can see that about 460,000 people are living below the poverty line. The wealthy people gets wealthier and wealthier while the poor people gets poorer and poorer.

From the graph above, we can see that the populace living in poverty has been increasing tremendously for the past 12 years. Even with Singapore's increasing GDP (Gross Domestic Product), there are still many Singaporeans not having a decent income or even a job.

The populace that has been affected the most are the ageing and elderly people living in Singapore. Some don't have children to take care of them and some are most probably homeless. There are many cases of which I've seen old people sleeping on the benches in parks or the ledges of void decks or even on the cold hard ground. It's a sight that I will never forget. Every time I've seen people selling tissue papers at hawker centers and food courts, I will undoubtly buy from them even if I have one myself. That single dollar when compiled together with other peoples "contributions" it could really make a huge difference for the poor and less fortunate people. The heart ache I receive every time I see these old people (some disabled) really touches me as they showed me their will to live on . So to anyone that is reading this post, why not lend a helping hand to the less fortunate people whenever you can?

wenping

CHINESE NEW YEAR

Wenping : red 

Color:

Red  is the first color that came into my mind. Every year my house is filled with red colored based decorations and ornaments. The lighting , the sofa covers and even the curtains are red. 

Symbol: $$$ (money)

The most memorable red colored thing is the red envelopes filled with money($$) we receive when we visit relatives houses to bai-nian as it is a tradition that every Chinese follow that when they are married, they are supposed to give the young ones red packets.

SCHOOL SPIRIT

The picture above depicts a scene of the entire school attending the the schools anniversary. This shows the school spirit.(credits to RV photography club)

wenping

HAPPINESS

Happiness. A smiley face like the picture above is an icon for being happy

wenping

FEAR

Photo cred: Wenping

When you're the first to arrive from your class. The classroom is still dark, everything is quiet and you're all alone…

LIFE

Life, it's like a candle. It's only ending point is when either the flame is extinguished or the candle fully melted

wenping

Wienna's December Holidays Reflection

During the dec hols last year, my family and I went for a holiday to Taiwan and Kukup, malaysia. I will share about what I did at Kukup. We sat for a 2hr ride to Kukup in a van. I went together with my cousins and friends. It was a very exciting trip and all of us could not wait to get there. Went we eventually got to Kukup, we were stunned as we witnessed a very different setting. Unlike Singapore, kukup was still very old and it was a fishing village. We were very interested and so we went for a walk around our resort. We sat on a boat, taking us to a fishing place where they caught many fishes. There was a special type of fish, which was very clever. It was able to splash water accurately at a specific thing. It amazed me at how these fishes were so clever. The host there was a very young boy and he was very friendly. All of us were shocked at how young he was because he spoke like an adult and said everything in detail. We were then brought around and went back to our resort. After seeing the fishing place, my cousins, my friends, my brother and I decided to try fishing on our own. Well, we did not have the right equipment to fish, so we decided to work with what we have. We were lucky to have found a fishing string which was relatively long. Unfortunately, it was not long enough to be in the water. My brother then suggested we attached the stick to a wooden chopstick and it worked! We used dried anchovy as the bait (from our nasik lemak haha) and went ahead with our idea. There werent many fishes in the water as the water was not very clean. However, a few fishes spotted our bait and came for it but once they touched the dried anchovy, they swam away like it was really disgusting. We were all disappointed but were laughing at how the fishes were so scared of the anchovy and decided to play card games in our room. We sang karaoke and ate a delicious barbequed dinner. One thing i disliked about kukup was there were flies literally everywhere. After our great dinner, we bought firecrackers and sky lanterns to light up at night. It was my first time seeing firecrackers and I was so excited. We all witnessed how beautiful the sky lanterns (i did put them up in taiwan as well) were and were so happy when we finally got to witness the firecrackers. It was also one of my cousins' birthday that day and we bought a cake and celebrated there. We sat there, looking at the beautiful night sky and playing with more fire poppers and such. The next day, it was our time to leave and we were all sad that we had to leave Kukup. I am really looking forward to another trip like this in the future! :)

Yiying's December holidays

During the last December holiday, my family and I went to Beitou, Taiwan. It was a 7-day trip. We were staying at a hot spring resort there.

My sister and I were excited to immerse ourselves in the warm, relaxing spring waters, so although we arrived at the resort pretty late at night, we were still very energetic. 

We were led to our room after my father was done with the checking in. He told us that he had booked the largest type of room there was - the Japanese squad. My sister and I became more excited. 'The largest room' sounded very appealing!

To our surprise, the room we entered was not very large! Not only that, the floor was bare! Well, there was a small square table in the middle, with tea cups and small snacks on it. A big cupboard was at the side and a television was placed beside it. It seemed very plain.

Moreover, where were the beds? That question left my mother anxiously rummaging through the cupboard, seemingly the only thing that held the answers. 

My sister and I were confused too. The room was just strange, though my sister was not really bothered with the empty room once she saw the television - her anti-boredom lifesaver. 

I decided to have a look around the room. I walked to the big bathroom, where our private hot spring was. Wow, the hot spring tub was big and spacious! There were separate water taps to allow water of different temperatures to flow into the tub - hot, cold and lukewarm. 

It was a while later that we realised that my father had booked the wrong kind of room! Based on a picture in the resort website, he had thought that the Japanese squad was a large room with proper beds. However, it turned out that it was a picture of two joined rooms. 

I wanted to laugh at his blunder, but my mother was not very pleased. She felt that we could not sleep comfortably on the Japanese beds (tatamis) - which she found in the cupboard - because it was too cold to sleep on the floor during winter. 

Honestly, I did not mind sleeping on tatamis, as it would be a new experience. My sister was pretty neutral about that too, but after some consideration,  my father agreed with my mother. 

Thus, my father called the receptionist to request for a room change if possible. Much to my mother's relief, they brought us to an available room with two king-sized beds. The bathroom was the same as the previous room, with an equally big hot spring tub. 

After all that fuss, we unpacked, settled down, took turns to soak in the hot spring and then went to bed. It certainly was a new and memorable experience, arriving at our destination, only to have booked the wrong room! 

Overall, the trip was very enjoyable. The food was very delicious and cheap, the service was excellent everywhere we went and the hot springs were heavenly.

I definitely had a fun-filled December holiday!

Gerald's swagilicious delicious nutritious December holiday

During the December holidays, I was lucky enough to go to Australia for a leisure trip. The temperature there was just a few degrees lower than Singapore because it was summer at the time (I think). The 7-hour long flight granted me the opportunity to watch movies all night. The people there love to go to the beach, as I always see dozens of them sunbathing, etc. The city is also bustling with people, especially at dusk, when the beautiful night lights shine upon the skyline of the city. I had loads of fun swimming in the rooftop swimming pool (which also had a scorching hot spring). The food there was pretty similar to the food in Singapore as there were many Asian food restaurants. There was even a branch of Singaporean restaurants there! I was surprised as this was not what I had predicted. I thought there would've been Western restaurants galore.This was a very unique experience that I enjoyed thoroughly.
Besides going overseas, I also went for cca acts and camps that taught me many new things and brought me lots of fun and joy. I also had to complete the mountains on homework given by teachers and retains sanity at the same time. Throughout the length of the December holiday, I met up with my closest friends.(You know who you are) and we had a fun "guys day out", playing soccer, or simply chatting. It was great nonetheless. I also spent the holiday playing retro games e.g (Pokemon, Etc.) . It stimulates the mind to make the right decisions due to the intense action and genius predictions. It was the most thrilling experience I ever had in a while. In conclusion, I felt that this December holiday was very fruitful and valuable.
lol

Wenping's December holidays

During the December holidays, I'm lucky enough to travel to 2 places Taipei, Taiwan, and ZhangJiaJie Hunan, China.

On the trip to Taiwan, I've learnt a lot about their history by visiting their national museum, learning about how Sun Yat Sen transformed the island of Taiwan into a vibrant nation today even after his death. 

While on the trip to ZhangJiaJie, I've visited their renowned 武陵源风景区(wûlíngyuánféngjingqu)where only at the summit of tianzi shan 天子山 has a Macdonalds restaurant without having even a single one down below in the city. Through this trip, I had seen many beggars on the streets. They are old and they wore only thin clothing in the freezing temperatures at about 1-6 degrees Celsius. I feel heartbroken seeming this people not enjoying the weather as much as I did. 

Once, after leaving the restaurant for dinner, a beggar was standing outside the entrance, holding out his torn hat in his hands begging. I didn't do anything and continued walking out as my parents once told me not to give any money to beggars. I couldn't do it. I couldn't just see this old man suffer . I waited till my parents were out of sight, I quickly took out a 20¥ Note and placed it gently on the old man's hat. He uttered in a mandarin dialect which I think was a “谢谢”。I felt great.

Comparing both cities, we can immediately see the huge difference. We can see the people's general wealth by looking at public places. Every street, every road has street lights . While Hunan , only the expressways have street lights. Every other road is either pitch black or only filled with light from cars.

Apart from visiting this two countries, I spent most of my holidays on CCA and going out with friends.

During CCAs I trained extremely hard as my goal was to have our volleyball team to get seeded into the inter school volleyball nationals.