CID reflection 7- Festivals in China

                        My group's impression of China's culture.

Researching about the festivals in China really caused me to gain some insight into what festivals the Chinese celebrate in China. Initially, I thought that the festivals that the Chinese celebrate in Singapore would be the same as to the festivals the Chinese celebrate in China. However, I was wrong. While there are festivals in China that we also celebrate in Singapore such as - Chinese New Year, dragon boat festival and mid autumn festival, there are also festivals that China celebrate but Chinese in Singapore don't. For example, Chinese in China celebrate winter solstice, double seventh festival, laba festival and the chongyang festival. These are the festivals that we do not celebrate in Singapore. I researched and found out more about the festivals that I mentioned above. 

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, also known as the spring festival,  is widely celebrated in China, and is the most popular festival in China. It is a time for families to be together. Wherever they are, people come home to celebrate the festival with their families.

The New Year's Eve dinner is called Reunion Dinner, and is believed to be the most important meal of the year. Big families – families of several generations sit around round tables and enjoy the food and time together. 

There are many cultural activities that occur during the festival. Rural areas and small towns retain more traditional celebrations, such as setting off firecrackers, ancestor worship, and dragon dances. Setting off firecrackers and fireworks are common during the Spring Festival season all over China.

Dragon boat festival 

Dragon Boat Festival, as known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional and statutory holiday in China, occurring on the 5th day of the 5th month of China’s lunar calendar. The Chinese will have a day off that day.

The main customs of the celebration include eating rice dumplings zòngzi, hanging calamus, Chinese mugwort, smoked herbs, and Chinese Angelica ; drinking Realgar wine , and racing dragon boats. Dragon boat racing is the most popular traditon.

Mid autumn festival 

The Mid-autumn festival is the second most important festival after the Spring Festival to Chinese people. Every year, when the festival comes people go home from every corner of the country and the world to meet their family and have dinner with them, admire the full moon and eat mooncakes. Chinese people will have a three-day holiday from September 6 to 8 during this festival.

Chinese people believe a full moon is a symbol of peace, prosperity, and family reunion. On Mid-Autumn Festival night the moon is supposed to be the brightest and fullest, which is why the festival is also known as the"Day of Reunion" and the "Moon Festival"

Winter solstice 

I found this festival to be the most interesting, as i find that the name of the festival is very majestic, mysterious and wonderful. The Winter Solstice usually falls around December 21, and more often refers in particular to the day when the sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 270°. It marks the longest night and the shortest day in the northern hemisphere. In China, the Winter Solstice was originally celebrated as an end-of-harvest festival. Today, it is observed with a family reunion over the long night, and pink and white tangyuan are eaten in sweet broth to symbolize family unity and prosperity. 

Double seventh festival

Falling on the seventh day of seventh lunar month, the Double Seventh Festival in China is what Valentine's Day to the western countries. As it is a day of great importance to girls, the event is also called Young Girls' Festival. Because of the beautiful legend about Niu Lang and Zhi Nu, the festival has been endowed with the meaning of great romance. The story of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu is bittersweet, as the legend of Zhi Nu and Niu Lang ended with Zhi Nu only being allowed to see Niu Lang on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month every year, thus giving the festival the name, "double seventh festival".

Chongyang festival

Held on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month, Chongyang Festival is also called Double Ninth Festival. In Chinese, nine is regarded as the number of Yang (which means masculine as opposed to Yin which is feminine). The ninth day of the ninth month is the day that has two Yang numbers, and 'chong' in Chinese means double which is how the name Chongyang was created. It is a day for people to eat Chongyang cake, drink chrysanthemum wine, climb mountains, and pay homage to chrysanthemums. During the festival, Chongyang cake and chrysanthemum wine is the traditional cuisine. Climbing mountains and admiring beautiful chrysanthemums are interesting events that add to the festival creating a joyous atmosphere.

Laba festival ( rice porridge festival)

Falling on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, Laba Festival was originally an occasion for people to give sacrifices to their ancestors, and to pray to heaven and earth for a good harvest and good luck for the family. Many years later, it has become a Laba Congee eating event - a porridge that contains different types of rice, beans, dried nuts, bean curd, and meat.After hours of boiling, the porridge is offered as a sacrifice to the ancestors and is presented to friends before noon. Family members eat Laba Porridge together and leave some, symbolizing a good harvest next year. Some kind people hand out the porridge to the poor to show their pity. And in some regions people believe that pasting porridge on the flowers and fruit trees indicates the blossom of flowers and good fruition.

These are the festivals which are widely celebrated in China, and I found all the festivals interesting, as they all have legends and stories behind them. Some of the festivals that are celebrated in China are also celebrated in Singapore, while the others are not. I learnt a lot from researching about the festivals that are celebrated in China but not in Singapore. 

☾ Festivals In China

There are many festivals celebrated in China, as festivals are a very important part of China's culture. I will be researching on some different festivals celebrated in China.

• Chinese New Year, or 春节, is the most widely known festival celebrated by most people in China. According to Wikipedia, CNY is an important Chinese festival celebrated at the turn of the Chinese calendar. It is considered a major holiday for the Chinese. Within China, regional and customs concerning the celebration of CNY vary greatly. However, most often, during CNY, it is a custom for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. Many Chinese families also engage in spring cleaning, which they believe will sweep away the bad luck from the previous year, as it will be a new year, a fresh start for them. Windows and doors will be decorated with red-coloured paper-cuts and couplets, as red is a colour representing prosperity and good fortune to the Chinese. Other customs include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red-packets. 

• The Lantern Festival has been of great significance since the Western Han Dynasty. During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night to temples carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns, also known as 猜灯谜. These lanterns symbolise people letting go of their past selves and having a fresh start. The lanterns are mostly red to symbolise good fortune as well. In Hong Kong, the Lantern Festival is commercialised as the Chinese equivalent of Valentine's Day. It is not to be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is sometimes known as the Lantern Festival in Singapore and Malaysia. 

• The Qingming Festival is also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day. Its name in Chinese suggests a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime, also known as 踏青 in Chinese. However, it is mostly noted for the connection with the tending of family graves. However, I'm not sure why this occasion is a celebrated festival. 

• The Duanwu Festival is also known as the Dragon Boat Festival. Ways of celebrating this festival is to eat 粽子, which are sticky rice treats wrapped in bamboo leaves, and drinking realgar wine, also known as 雄黃酒, as well as racing dragon boats. 

• The Qixi Festival, known as 七夕, is a Chinese festival that celebrates the annual meeting of the cowherd and the weaver girl in Chinese mythology. It is also widely known as the Chinese Valentine's Day. The festival originated from 织女 and 牛郎, who were the weaver girl and cowherd, respectively. 

• The Ghost Festival, also 中元节, is a traditional Chinese festival in which ghosts and spirits, including those of deceased ancestors, come out from the "lower realm". On that day, Taoists and Buddhists will perform rituals to to transmute and absolve the sufferings of the deceased. Activities during the Ghost Festival include preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning incense, and burning joss paper. Elaborate meals, frequently vegetarian, would be served with empty seats for each of the deceased in the family, treated as if they were still living, and to show respect to their deceased family members. Other ways of celebrating this festival include releasing miniature boats and paper lanterns on water, signifying giving directions to the lost ghosts and spirits of the ancestors or deities. 

• The Mid-Autumn Festival is known as 中秋节. It celebrates gathering of the family, giving thanks and praying for various things, such as for babies, longevity, or for a good future. Brightly lit lanterns are carried around and moon cakes are made and shared. The senior person in that household would cut the moon cake into pieces and distribute them to the family members, signifying family reunion. 

• Another celebrated festival is the Laba Festival, also known as 腊八节. It is customary on that day to eat Laba congee and Laba garlic. This festival is used to commemorate the Gautama Buddha's enlightenment at age 35. 

THANK YOU FOR READING! (: 

Is Merlion the best icon to represent Singapore?

Is Merlion the best icon to represent Singapore?
I disagree that Merlion is the best icon to represent Singapore. I feel that they are many more icons to represent Singapore. For example, Sentosa, the Singapore Flyer, Esplanade and Marina Bay Sands. I think that icon means something that can represent the country in terms of  things. Although Merlion is very famous and many people visit the Merlion Park when they visit Singapore, I still think that there are other magnificent infrastructures to represent Singapore.
Sentosa is an island in Singapore. There are many attractions there such as Universal Studios Singapore, Adventure Cove and Underwater World. These are the few very famous attractions in Sentosa. Every year, about 20 million people visits Sentosa. This shows that many people visit this place and this place is a good icon to represent Singapore.

Esplanade is also a good representation of Singapore. Esplanade is a 60,000 square metres performing arts centre located in Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River. It is where many famous theatre works are presented in. It is also one of the good icons to represent Singapore.

Singapore Flyer is also another good icon to represent Singapore. The Singapore Flyer is a giant Ferris wheel in Singapore that was built in 2008. Based on  a report in 2014, about 7.3 million people visit the Singapore Flyer annually. 

Therefore, I feel that there are other better icon to represent Singapore. Merlion is not the only icon to represent Singapore best as there are numerous icons to better represent Singapore.

CID reflection 6- Is the Merlion a good icon to represent Singapore?

                                      

In my opinion, I feel that the Merlion is not a good icon to represent Singapore. There are so many other icons that can better represent Singapore, for example,our iconic foods such as the chili crab and durian. There is also Marina Bay Sands. However, in this blogpost, I'm just going to elaborate on one single icon which I truly feel represents Singapore the best. That is, the Singapore river.

According to Wikipedia, The Merlion do not feature in any local folklore or myths of Singapore, and was only used in Singapore initially as the logo for the tourism board. I feel that the Merlion should not be the icon used to represent Singapore as as stated by Wikipedia, the Merlion was originally thought of as a logo for the tourism board and it does not feature any folklore of Singapore. This icon should not be used as I feel that an icon that will truly represent Singapore would be one that shows the growth of Singapore and something that shows the history and uniqueness of the icon to Singapore. The Merlion is merely a stature that has half the body of a lion while half the body of a fish. It does not signify anything or show the history nor the uniqueness of the icon to Singapore since there is no story behind it. The Merlion might be a popular place among tourists to go to since its a famous tourist attraction in Singapore, but I feel that it does not represent Singapore accurately. 

What I feel is a good icon to represent Singapore would be the Singapore river. The Singapore river was once the old Port of Singapore , sheltered by the southern islands. Historically, the city of Singapore initially grew around the port so the river mouth became the centre of trade, commerce and finance. To this day, area around the old Singapore River mouth, the Downtown core, remains the most expensive and economically important piece of land in Singapore. There is a rich history behind the Singapore river and it has been there since a long time ago. It used to be a trading port, which was the main contributing factor of Singapore's economic development then. It still contributes to Singapore's economy now, with it being s popular tourist attraction. The Singapore river used to be very dirty, smelly and littered with rubbish. People use to aviod walking near the Singapore river. However, it is now a clean and beautiful River that flows through the central business district in Singapore. It is now a popular hangout spot among Singaporeans. Taking a walk along the Singapore river feels tranquil. The Singapore river shows how far Singapore has come, with the river developing together with Singapore. Singapore used to be unnoticed, where living conditions here was unfavorable. However, just like the Singapore river, Singapore transformed into a clean and green metropolis. The Singapore river is an indication of how far we have come and how much we have developed as a country. It is thus a very suitable icon to use to represent Singapore as the Singapore river has a history, and wasn't created due to the need for tourist attractions unlike the Merlion.

The Singapore river is also very suitable to use as an icon as I feel that it represents our founding father, late Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Mr Lee Kuan Yew was the man who initiated and carried out his plan to clean up the dirty Singapore river back then in 1977. The clean up process took 10 years but he was determined to have a clean Singapore river. Unlike the Merlion which was built in 1972, the Singapore river has been here since long ago. He was the one who made the Singapore river become what it is now. Mr Lee Kuan Yew has contributed greatly to Singapore and I feel that the Singapore river is a place where I think of and is reminded of Mr Lee. Mr Lee used to take strolls along the Singapore river frequently and the first place that he went after attending the wake of his late wife was the Singapore river. This shows how important the Singapore river is to him. The Singapore river is Mr Lee's pride and joy and thus I feel that the Singapore river is a perfect icon to use to represent Singapore as it also represents Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who has contributed the most to Singapore. I guess that's what makes an icon special; being able to think of the important events that has happened to a nation over many many years.

                                                 Our beautiful Singapore river.

☀ Is Merlion A Good Icon For Singapore? [ZIQIU]

✿ ZIQIU'S REFLECTION 

<IS MERLION A GOOD ICON FOR SG?>

In my opinion, the Merlion is not a good icon for Singapore. Though many think that it is the one icon that can represent Singapore, I believe otherwise.

• According to Wikipedia, "Merlions do not feature in any local folklore or myths of Singapore, and was only used in Singapore initially as the logo for the tourism board." Firstly, what's most important about Singapore as a country is not just a small aspect of its economy income (in this case, the tourism board), but rather the culture of Singapore, represented by old folklores and stories of Singapore. These stories represent the growth of Singapore over the years and that is what really can represent Singapore as a whole. There is more to the growth of Singapore than just a statue of the Merlion. 
• Singapore was officially independent on 9 August 1965. The Merlion was made official on 15 September 1972, one not-so-significant date. This hence does not connect the Merlion with any of the significance in Singapore. Hence, I do not think that the Merlion should be viewed as the national icon of Singapore. 
• According to Wikipedia, "it has become a marketing icon". We should not simply view the Merlion from economical points of how it is regarded as a "national icon", because the Merlion statue being popular in all parts of the world does not make it a good national icon, as it has not been through the ups and downs of Singapore's growth, but has merely brought economy increase for Singapore. 
• Wikipedia states that a national icon is something that can be symbolic of the nation. In my opinion, the Merlion does not represent anything very unique about our nation, making it a not-so good icon for Singapore. 
• There are many other representative icons that I believe represents Singapore well. For example, the national anthem. It was composed in 1958, a few years before Singapore became independent. This can show that the national anthem has seen the ups and downs of Singapore when it became independent in 1965. I also think that it is a unique representation of Singapore as this song is something special to us as it conveys the message "Onward Singapore" representing the Singaporeans' pride, joy and hope as we progress with the nation. 

I thus can conclude that I do not think that the Merlion statue is a good icon for Singapore. 

Thank you for reading(: 

Shu Hong's Reflection

I feel that Merlion is not a good icon for Singapore as there are many other factors that can represent Singapore too.
For example, the Marina Bay Sands. The Marina Bay Sands is a huge building that looks like a ship. This architecture has a lot of designs and looks fanciful, for example, the way the hotel rooms are built in 3 different buildings and then it being connected by a long structure that looks like a ship.
Yes, many say:" so what?" its just a building in the end. However, that is not all is to it. This building has many special facilities. The rooftop, which is also the ship-like structure, has a garden. Based on tourists comments through the web page, tripadvisor, the comments had included that it was a 57 story high platform that enables you to see the entire city.
Now, here is another point, by seeing the entire city, you will be able to see tall infrastructures. symbolises the development that Singapore had went through since the day we gained independence till today. Thus, I believe that the Marina Bay Sands has more meaning to Singapore and is more suitable to be Singapore icon.
There are also many other icon for Singapore, one of them can be the chilli crab. From tripadvisor, people recommend going to this restaurant called "Jumbo" where it is known for its chilli and pepper crabs, tourists reviews of the chilli crab and pepper crab in Jumbo have been very positive and everyone was complimenting on how soft and tasty the crabs taste like, many also claimed that the service at the restaurants were up to standards. Thus, I feel that the chilli crab is suitable to be the icon of Singapore as it will leave deep impressions on tourists/foreigners who come to Singapore to taste our local crabs. Even as a Singaporean I deeply enjoy the taste of the chilli crab and to me, eating a chilli crab is a blessing as I rarely get to eat it due to the price.

CID REFLECTION ( 6 )

Do you think the Merlion would make the best icon for Singapore?

你觉得鱼尾狮能最好代表新加坡吗？

虽然许多人会同意这句话，而原因是鱼尾狮见证了我国的发展，可是我否认这句话。为什么呢？鱼尾狮能代表新加坡，但不能最好代表新加坡。若你问一些游客，并不是每一个人知道鱼尾狮。中国的万里长城，意大利的披萨铁塔，英国的伦敦桥，这些建筑人尽皆知。所以要选能最好代表新加坡的建筑，必备的条件又要有特征，意义，更重要的是每个人知道。具备这些条件的建筑，美食和语言有滨海湾花园，榴莲，Singlish，等等。

鱼尾狮的来历人们都说是有关Sang Lima Utama看见一头狮子和新加坡是个渔岛才有了鱼尾狮，但我不苟同。这是个故事，是个传说，毫无根据。

我觉得要选最能代表新加坡的有滨海湾花园，樟宜机场，圣淘沙，等。这些建筑是游客必去的地方，能代表新加坡。但是若要代表新加坡，我认为非新加坡河莫属。新加坡河在建国时，是个肮脏，臭气熏天的地方，但现在新加坡河是如此的干净。新加坡河的改变象征了前辈们不辞辛劳的成果。一名游客有可能不了解这写历史，但这体现出了新加坡的干净，而鱼尾狮只是一个传说的动物。

我认为新加坡的食物是十分独特的，多样化的食物选择代表了新加坡多元宗族的社会。我们有辣椒螃蟹，印度煎饼，椰浆饭，炸鸡及马铃薯片。这一道一道的佳肴不能代表新加坡，但多样化的美食是新加坡的特色能代表新加坡。身为一名新加坡人，我本身比较喜欢新加坡的美食。 我是个挑食的人，而新加坡有韩国料理，日本佳肴，中西餐，让我想吃什么就能吃任何一样。

Golden Age of Tang Dynasty

Tang dynasty was the golden age of Chinese literature and art. A government system supported by a large class of Confucian literati selected through civil service examinations was perfected under Tang rule. This was when poetry became an important topic. Famous and talented poets were looked up to. 

Golden Age of Singapore

The definition of Golden Age is the most flourishing period in the history of a nation. 

If we think back, we did have a golden age in Singapore. It was when Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's founding father turned this little red dot into one of the most developed countries in the world. Mr Lee Kuan Yew spent his whole life in changing a small fishing village into a modern city. Due to Mr Lee building up our nation, there was a Golden Age for Singapore. I am really thankful to him for building up this nation well.

Shu Hong's Reflection


'Golden Age of Singapore'

     The Golden Age is a period where a country is prosperous. peaceful and filled with happiness.
     Singapore did experience this before, and it was lead under our late founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Mr Lee turned Singapore from a third world country to a first world country. He was able to turn a country that was kicked out of Malaysia, into an self-dependent country. A little red dot to one of the top few countries in the world. Mr Lee had created Singapore's Golden Age.
     However. in order to create Singapore's Golden Age, there were steps that had to be made. When Singapore first gain independence in 1965, Mr Lee became the Prime Minister. To ensure the security of the country, he implemented a new system, 'National Service' a.k.a NS. This system is one that ensures all men at the age of 18 that they will undergo training as a soldier, learning how to fight in the situation of a war. Indeed, many of us are unsatisfied with the NS programme. But have you ever wondered, if Mr Lee had not implemented this NS programme, Singapore will be defenceless and people will be unable to live in peace, everyday having to fear of being conquered by other countries.
     Mr Lee had made Singapore prosperous by stretching out to investors from overseas to invest in Singapore. Mr Lee showed no biasness towards any religion and all races were given fair opportunities. The citizens of Singapore was very contented with the way Mr Lee worked. Thus, Mr Lee was the one who had created the 'Golden Age of Singapore'.

Tang Dynasty Golden Age

      The Golden Age of Tang Dynasty was due to the the arts flourishing during the Tang Dynasty. It was during this time that poetry became an integral part of the Chinese culture. Poetry was a required study for those who wished to pass the civil service exams. Talented poets were well-respected and often recited their poetry as entertainment at parties.
        While the Tang Dynasty is most famous for its poetry, other arts also became popular during this time. Many forms of literature were written including short stories, encyclopedias, and histories. Also painting was very popular and the era produced famous painters such as Wu Daozi, Wang Wei (also a famous poet), and Zhou Fang.

CID reflection 5- Remembering Lee Kuan Yew

Tang Dynasty is very rich in arts and culture. That era is known for their pottery, painting and poetry. Their painting is extremely well known, even till today. They are famous for their landscape painting also known as "山水画". Chinese pottery during the Tang era made significant advances and pottery created was often exported to exotic countries where it's priced highly. Tang Dynasty is a golden era because there was economic growth during that period of time. Exquisite art paintings and pottery were traded and sold for a high price. People from all around the world would also have a better understanding of what art and culture in China represents. Also, poetry was also greatly appreciated during the Tang Dynasty and it became an integral part of Chinese culture. People who wished to pass important exams are required to study and do well for poetry. Art and culture thus flourished during the Tang Dynasty and made it a golden era.

                               

Next, I'm going to talk about Mr Lee and his contributions to Singapore. Mr Lee contributed greatly to Singapore and oversaw Singapore’s transformation from a Third World country to a First World country. He was the man that helped transform Singapore from a small, undeveloped fishing village into the metropolitan city we have today. In addition to the industrialization of the country, he was able to create trade contracts with other countries. These trade agreements allowed the country to continue producing goods while obtaining important resources from the other. He helped us build and strengthen relationships with other countries. He wanted the world to know what Singapore, a small country is capable of. Mr Lee believed strongly in building a nation that does not discriminate and citizens lived here in harmony. That's why he broke of the merger with Malaysia even though it was an extremely difficult decision for him to make. He wanted to have an equal society while the Malaysian government believed in Malay supremacy. He trusted his decision and believed that Singapore would be able to flourish under his rule. Mr Lee also made English the common language in Singapore to integrate the immigrant society and to facilitate trade with the West. However, Lee also made schools bilingual for students to preserve their mother tongue roots and cultural identity. Because of Mr Lee's strong belief in maintaining bilingualism, we are then able to study in a SAP school where higher Chinese is heavily emphasized on. Without him, We would not even be studying in a SAP school now. He was, indeed a great man who have led Singapore to where it is today. Everyday when I now see the Singapore flag flying high in the sky, I think of him, and the contributions he has made for Singapore. 

 

       

We are able to live in harmony though from different races all because of Mr Lee's efforts in ensuring that we have a democratic society. 

 

Singapore is seen as its own version of "the golden age" as people of all races here live in harmony with no conflicts. Singapore is flourishing in wealth and we have good relations with all the countries in the world. We have managed to prosper even though we do not have much natural resources,without much help from other countries. We are independent. All children in this country undergo good education and have equal opportunities to get a job. We have good healthcare and healthcare is subsidized by the government at poly clinics. The pioneer generation is cared well for and they do not have to work at a old age. We have created our own water system known as "NEWater", and do not have to rely on importing clean water into our country. We are what we are today all because of Mr Lee. He believed in this small nation and with his vision of Singapore, we flourished. 

      

Singapore in its golden age era, flourishing in wealth and having people from different races living in peace and harmony.