It was finally the first day of OELP! I remember waking up extra early to go to Changi Airport for our flight departing Singapore for Shanghai. That moment was quite surreal as I couldn't believe that our trip to China had finally officially begun. At the airport, we bid goodbye to our parents. I was feeling rather scared about going overseas without my family, but at the same time excited for the trip as I would be travelling with my friends for the first time as well!
Upon our arrival in Shanghai, we left for a cultural visit to the infamous "The Bund", or 外滩, with the guidance of our tour guide 包导游. He was very kind and patient, and told us to call him 包导. On the bus ride to The Bund, I noticed that there was a large flow of cars on the road and generally in the city. I also noticed that there were a massive amount of tall buildings and skyscrapers in Shanghai. According to 包导, the 1990's were the golden era for Shanghai. Many foreigners had come to Shanghai to open restaurants, for example Italian and Belgium restaurants.
We saw many banks and hotels along The Bund too. We think that it's because as Shanghai hosts more foreigners who arrive everyday for business, Shanghai also has a huge number of hotels and banks.
After that, we had dinner and then proceeded to go on a cruise tour to Huangpu River (黄浦江)! It was bright and buzzing with city lights and colour. It gave me the impression that it is a very vibrant part of Shanghai, buzzing with city life.
^ the scenery we saw from the cruise ship.
After the cruise tour, we checked into our hotel and had a debrief, coupled with a form teacher session with our teacher Mr. Dela Cruz.
From the sights of the Bund and Huangpu River, it appeared to me that Shanghai's economy is very well-developed. There were tall skyscrapers and modern infrastructure in the city, and it was abuzz with the noises of a economically advanced and modern city.
✧DAY 2, 27th May
We woke up in the early morning and travelled towards Yangzhou.
Upon arrival, we paid a visit to Geyuan Garden, a public garden known for its seasonal rock gardens. The Geyuan Garden is an elegant and urban wooded mountain garden, primarily made up of bamboo and rocks.
Next, we went to the Chinese Paper Cutting Museum (剪纸博物馆). We were taught how to cut paper intricately into a certain picture. My group was assigned to cut out a picture of a cat. It was quite hard as there were small and elaborate details for us to snip out, however we persevered and eventually finished the picture. We have also learnt that cutting paper with hand actually adds more value to the craft as more effort is put into creating it. Not just the glitz and glamour of city life has value, but also past that, value of culture and traditions are important as well.
After that, we went to the Grand Canal (大运河). It is a beautiful river full of greenery and nature. On the boat ride, we felt relaxed and soothed. From this, we can infer that life in Yangzhou is certainly relaxed and that the pace of life in Yangzhou, is slower. Yangzhou has one of the world's famous heritage sites, hence it must be important to preserve culture and heritage so that people can connect with their culture.
Then, we visited the local markets in Yangzhou! We observed that most items in China are less expensive than in Singapore. I think that this is because many goods in China are made right in the country, hence the goods are sold cheaper; whereas in Singapore, goods are mostly imported from other countries, resulting in the prices of goods being higher.
A comparison of life in Shanghai and in Yangzhou showed us that Shanghai is more globalized than Yangzhou. We have observed that many signs in Shanghai are in 2 languages whereas signs in Yangzhou only have 1. This showed us that Shanghai must have more foreigners visiting for business purposes, as it contributes to the economy. However, Yangzhou is more slow-paced than Shanghai and most of the time, only has local visitors for their nature, greenery and culture.
✧DAY 3, 28th May
The first day of school immersion had us all very excited, as we all couldn't wait to experience China's school life firsthand ourselves! When we first saw Shuren School, we were all awed, as it seemed so huge and so unlike how we pictured it! The principal was friendly and kind and offered us all a warm welcome.
After the Chinese class, we went into another room to watch the introduction video of Yangzhou. It was fascinating to learn all about the history of Yangzhou and the ways of life there.
After the introduction of Yangzhou, we went into the spacious indoors sports hall to have PE classes with another class. They taught us their 武术 routine and then we also taught them our 立化拳. Next, we participated in some games that Shuren School had tirelessly organized for us, followed by a basketball competition. What warmed my heart was that the RVians had excellent class spirit, chanting cheers of encouragement, even when our teammates missed a ball or got a penalty, the whole class cheered on for them. Although we lost the competition, it was still a meaningful lesson for us that only united, we can do our best.
Next, we went to the school canteen to have lunch. We went to the teachers' and staff' cafeteria, and the food was very delicious and supple. I was very touched by the school's hospitality.
During our FT session, we discussed how Shuren School is bigger. This is because there is more land size available in China.
✧DAY 4, 29th May
It was another day for school immersion! This time, we went to another section of Shuren School, their 树人旧校区. That day, we finally met our buddies! Mine was a nice girl who liked anime. She was very friendly. We exchanged gifts and as they still had lessons, they were required to go back to class and couldn't bring us around Yangzhou, which disappointed us a little. We watched a group of students from Shuren School present to us about Science projects, dance, poetry recital, etc.
Next, we went to their auditorium for a performance. We took turns performing, and Shuren School's students performed drums, dance, singing and drama. They had a vibrant variety of talents, from what we could see!
It seemed to us that the Chinese students were very confident. We also observed that in China, there were fewer group projects. Individual work was seen as more important, and the study culture over there in China is rather individualistic. During the performances, we inferred that Shuren School has more individual talents rather than group talents. I am grateful to be in Singapore as thus, we can learn how to negotiate our differences in group work and in the future, these skills of being able to work as a team will benefit us greatly.
We found that the school did not have toilet paper in their toilets and did not have lockers. This made me feel grateful for what our school, River Valley, gives to us. We have clean toilet bowls, FCE classes, toilet paper in the toilets, lockers and the freedom to bring our phones to school. I have learnt to appreciate what I have and not to complain about it.
^ in the canteen of Shuren School :>
After that, we toured the beautiful school garden of Shuren School. It was a huge garden, complete with stone sculptures, a wondrous waterfall and even a beautifully built pavilion. We were all amazed that this was the garden of a school!
Next, we proceeded to visit the infamous Xinhua Book Store (新华书局). We heard that this book store is very popular among the Chinese. It's basically the Chinese equivalent of Singapore's Popular Book Store. Xinhua Book Store had several levels, each level selling different things. We noticed that there were very little English books, probably because most of the locals do not read English for leisure purposes. There were Korean and Japanese language textbooks, perhaps for the locals to study, enabling them to go to Korea and Japan to do business. We also noted that Xinhua Book Store sold basketballs. This told us that the Yangzhou locals probably engaged in basketball frequently and that this sport was quite popular among the people. In conclusion, we learnt that looking through a book shop can tell a lot about a country's culture.
After that, we went for dinner and a trip to the local supermarket to get some food and drinks.
✧DAY 5, 30th May
On Day 5, we got to visit the former residence of Zhu Ziqing. (朱自清故居) We learnt that this residence was built in the Qing Dynasty and I was quite fascinated with the structure of it. We learnt that this style of structure was actually the classic Yangzhou "三合院" style of building. We also got to know that the 朱自清故居 is a patriotism education base, as Zhu Ziqing was a patriotic writer. I think that the 朱自清故居 contributes to traditional culture as the building style of his house was classic and can influence people to be more patriotic and love the country.
Then, we visited Dongguan Street (东莞历史文化街). It is an ancient alley and street in the center of Yangzhou. There's quite a number of shops in Dongguan Street and life was very vibrant and carefree there. My CID group mates and I bought some souvenirs there for our families and friends. From what I saw, Dongguan Street was a street full of culture and heritage. Small handicrafts and traditional crafts were sold in many shops and there was an antique, or 古色古香 feel about the place. I was fascinated by the deep sense of culture around this street.
Next, we went to see Slender West Lake (瘦西湖). It's a well-known scenic spot in the city of Yangzhou and also is a national park in China. The lake is surrounded by many weeping willows and is a gorgeous attraction. I had felt very relaxed while walking around it.
We then visited Dong Quan Men Alley (东圈门历史街). This is a quiet ancient back alley that contains a host of sites well worth visiting. We learnt that the alley's main entrance gate dates back to the Qing Dynasty. Small restaurants and shops line the alley, yet it lacks any sense of commercialization.Some food was also sold there, and we even saw a street vendor make sweets on the spot. She drizzled syrup in intricate images and pictures on pieces of translucent paper, then as it got into place, they would be ready to be eaten! I think that this is good as once in a while, we should really appreciate the culture and little things around us, rather than focus on the buzz of a busy commercialized area.
✧DAY 6, 31st May
On Day 6, we returned to Shanghai. We then went to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (上海科技馆). It was a fascinating and interesting place! This museum is modernized and very large. It even has a 3D movie theater! The museum has 13 permanent exhibitions and my group mates and I went to the Spectrum of Life nature exhibit which imitates the scenery of Yunnan Province and displays its diversity of creatures. After, we even watched a short movie in the IMAX 3D theater, which was really exciting as our seats could be elevated and there were some special effects like water sprays, etc.
Next, we paid a visit to Tian Zi Fang (田子坊). It is an arts and crafts enclave that has developed from a renovated residential area in the French Concession area of Shanghai. Tian Zi Fang is well-known for its small craft stores, coffee shops, trendy art studios and narrow alleys. I felt that it was a very quaint and interesting part of Shanghai, as it was very artsy and expresses more about the culture in Shanghai.
Then, we visited the infamous French Concession (法租界). We learnt from 包导 that the French Concession was a foreign concession in Shanghai from 1849 to 1943. Although there was some re-development over the last few decades, the French Concession still has a distinct character and air about it and is famous for the preservation of local 石库门 architecture.
After visiting the French Concession, we travelled to Chenghuang Miao (城隍庙), a temple located within the old walled city. The 城隍庙 not only refers to the temple complex, but also the traditional district of commerce surrounding the temple. There are over a hundred stores and shops in this area and most of the store buildings are nearly a century old!
✧DAY 7, 1st June
Our first stop was Qibao Ancient Town (七宝古镇). I felt that it was quite like the ancient streets in Yangzhou, however, we noticed that Qibao Ancient Town had quite a number of costume businesses, where you dress in traditional Chinese clothing and take photographs. Instead, the ancient streets in Yangzhou had no such businesses. We believe that this is because Shanghai has more tourists than Yangzhou, as it is a more globalized city. This is probably why Shanghai hosts more of costume businesses, which are more targeted at tourists.
Later, we visited the Shanghai Museum (上海博物馆). It's a museum of ancient Chinese art and is considered one of China's first world-class modern museums. We saw a lot of ancient antiques of China, e.g. ceramics, calligraphy, furniture and paintings. We have all learnt a lot about the history of China through this trip to the museum.
Next stop is the famous Oriental Pearl Tower (东方明珠塔)! We're all really excited for this trip as we have heard prior to the trip that the Oriental Pearl Tower is an extremely tall structure and has a 263 meters viewpoint. It felt truly surreal to be standing on transparent ground and look down at the beautiful scenery beneath! We had a bird's eye view of The Bund, even.
Next, we had to leave Shanghai for Singapore. I felt truly reluctant to be leaving China as over the 7 days, I had started to understand China's customs and ways of life. It had also been great fun travelling different places and learning all about China's traditional culture, everyday customs and modern way of life. We may have encountered a number of customs that differ from what we are used to, in Singapore, however we have learnt to be courteous, patient and considerate and try to understand those customs. It has been an incredibly beneficial trip to China that opened my eyes to many new different ways of living and I am very grateful to my school for organizing OELP, giving us the chance to experience and immerse ourselves in China's culture and modern customs.
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