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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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