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.