Economic or Culture and History Reflection

Kathy: (Economic)

What is the effect of China's economic growth on its environment quality?
The world's most populous nation is undergoing a vast transformation that

will redefine the global economy. Despite the impressive economic performance,

the environment qualities have become worse and worse during the past two decades. 
Chinese industrial production has increased tremendously in recent years, 

and its consumption of resources has necessarily gone way up as well. These 

developments will have important impacts on economics, business, politics, 

and environmental conditions throughout the world. China's economic rise has 

come at the expense of its environment and public health. As the world's largest

source of carbon emissions, China is responsible for a third of the planet's 

greenhouse gas output. It's air pollution is so serious that life expectancy in 

the north has even decreased by 5.5 years. This is very alarming and China will 

have to move more rapidly towards a low-carbon growth economy. A better environment

will not emerge automatically as the country becomes richer,  a strategy of 

sustainable development is needed.One of the things that can be done is to

promote technology policies that encourage cost-effective green innovations.

With sustained efforts, China can maintain its high status in economy as well

as being a clean and green country.

Lionel: (Economic)

Throughout the trip of Hefei, we visited a few  factories and companies . I went

to Iflytek to sort of experience and learn more about technological advancement

of China. It was mainly about voice technology , where they modify and implement 

new software for the voice technology.  I think that modifying a software for the 

locals is good , the Chinese people would probably select this version than to use 

the western version.  Chinese speakers from other parts of Asia can also utilize 

this equipment . This can improve their import and export rate , letting the company 

to gain more money. We also visited meiling factory , where they construct 

refrigerators . First , we went through a showcase of the different versions of 

refrigerators created by meiling . Then , we went to see how refrigerators are built. 
The refrigerators are built and their brand name changes after manufacturing , and 

it is exported to other parts of the world (Europe with the highest demand).
This gives me the idea that the changing in brand name would appeal to the western 

side, and possibly increase the supply demand . Hence China can profit in these 

western demand of utilities .   

Ting Fang: (Culture and History)

 After my OELP trip 2014 to Anhui, China, I have learnt that what people do in the 

past affects the people in the present as it shows us what kind of values or 

attitude we should have and this would ultimately affect our future. For example, 

Bao Gong Ci. The people of China would remember to always be just and then they 

would apply this attitude in their daily lives and this would definitely affect 

their future.  China also adopted a good attitude where they are always willing 

to try new things and improve themselves. For example, iFlyTek is a software company 

in China. iFlyTek has many ideas adapted from major companies like Apple. Their 

humble attitude and willingness to learn from others to improve is what makes them 

successful today. This was probably a kind of attitude inspired by Li Hong Zhang, 

who wanted to introduce China to globalization for the improvement of China, instead 

of being contented with what they have. Therefore, I feel that China is made by the 

past which guides them through the present and constructs the future.

Yi Xuan: (Culture and History)

Culture is an attitude and History is the result of an attitude. However, why is 

this important? This is because culture and history from the old led to the better 

new today. With the culture of women having lower statuses in the past, people now 

have learned to change from the past for a better new where women are gaining more 

freedom. Now, women are not just able to attend school easily, women are also 

starting to achieve high positions in the parliament. With Bao Gong's many stories, 

he inspired us and became a role model for us people of the future, teaching us the 

importance of being impartial. With Li Hong Zhang's idea of Western modernization, 

people became more aware of modernization, eventually leading to the now improved 

communist state of China. People may say that Li Hong Zhang should not be praised 

as he signed unfair treaties, however, the mistakes made by him also provided a 

chance for people of the future to learn and change for the better instead of 

repeating his mistakes again. The culture and history of the past does not just 

remind us to change for the better, they also motivate and drive people of the 

future to improve and thus leading to the better new of today. The culture and 

history of the past, especially the part about women, also made me reflect and 

appreciate what I have today. Having such wonderful education right now is something 

I was unable to fully appreciate before our oelp trip. However, comparing what I 

have to what I now understand of the past in China, I believe that I am blessed to 

have such an comfortable life.

Gerald Goh: (Culture and History)

Thinking back, I realized that our ancestors mostly came from China. Their 
history stretch back to the ancient times of China. That is for us 
Chinese. But even saying that, even other races have ancestors that 
comes from China. Be it Malays, Indians, Italians, Germans or even 
Koreans or Japanese. Because if u think about it, any race can marry 
somebody from China, and after that their children stoppedand instead marry 

their own race and now many hundred of years down theroad, it appears that the 

foreigners have no blood relations with the people of China. Without them knowing , 

their ancestor could very well be from China! 
  
China is one of the world's oldest civilized nation, which dates back to more than 

10,000 years. The 5,000 years period is commonly used as the date when China 
became unified under a large empire. China alternated between periods of political 

unity and disunity at intervals, and was occasionally conquered by external groups 

of people, some eventually being assimilated into the Chinese population. Chinese 

culture is one of the world's oldest cultures.The area in which the culture is 
dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and 

traditions varying greatly between provinces, cities, and even towns. Important 

components of Chinese culture include literature, music, visual arts, martial arts, 

cuisine, religion etc.

Trip advisory for Anhui

Anhui , China
Trip advisory

High Speed Rail
It was an interesting ride as we got to see the countrysides on our way to Anhui. I belived that this is really an important aspect to show that China is growing and becoming more globalized. The high speed rail is very convenient and can make rural areas more accessible. We believe this really boosts the economic growth of China as it brings in more business. Many locals are commuters on the train and it shows how this transport is being integrated into the Chinese's daily life.

What to remain/ continue: 
Huangshan is a good place for us to get close to nature. We were given adequate time to relax and enjoy the breathtaking scenery.

School Immersion
The students are able to join students in China for lessons. We can experience their class environment ,and hence point out the differences between China's education system and Singapore's. We were able to empathize with the Chinese students as we face just as much pressure in daily lives as well due to the highly competitive society.

SanheGuzhen
The ancient villages are good for the students to learn more of olden Chinese culture . We can see what the past people emphasize in their education , what are their vision and beliefs etc. We also felt the atmosphere there and could imagine the lives of people back then. Also, as time passes by, some things still remained the same while others have completely changed. What was once a prosperous town full of life has now became 'dead'.

Li Hong Zhang residence and Bao Gong Ci park  
Students learn more about historic figures of China. We can study more of their contributions to the olden society and question how it has affected the modern world. We also saw the moral values the historic figures uphold and were passed down till today. We found the museum with wax figurings showing the three famous scenes of Bao Gong in court very interesting. It depicts Bao Gong's acts in a creative way and it was definitely the highlight at Bao Gong Ci Park.

Meiling Company
It shows the significance of local companies, how it adds to China's economy by exporting to foreign countries as well. It proved to be very enriching and made me view China in a different light.


What to add:
School exchange should be extended even longer to more than 2 days. We could follow their china buddy for a whole school day, to learn more about the difference in education of Singapore and China. This would give us more chances to interact with locals and be involved in the Chinese culture .We were not able to fully understand and see for ourselves the lifestyle in Anhui therefore we would like to experience a day in the life of a typical Chinese and make better comparisons.

More time in Shanghai ( View the Shanghai Skyline and Trip to Shanghai bund)
We should include a day trip in Shanghai , so that we can compare a city of second tier , Hefei and a first tier city Shanghai. We would then acknowledged their high standard of living, the abundance in skyscrapers and better infrastructure and realise what makes Shanghai such a successful trading hub. 

iFlytek 
Through the iFlytek experience, we were better able to learn the rapid development of Chinese technology, it really helped us understand the big picture behind what moves China towards modernization. However, the guides could have brought us around even more as we wasted around half an hour in the waiting room.

Meiling Factory
It was a short trip to the inside of the factory, we took a quick look at how the refrigerators were assembled and packaged. However, I felt that the details of the process and what the company values could be further explained.

What to exclude: 
Shexian
Many historical sights there weren't of the our interest , as most of us admit that not much was taken away from there.

Xidi and Hongcun
Most ancient cities are built based on similar infrastructure designs thus what we saw and the content learnt were more or less the same. We were thus unable to gain new cultural insights. Thus we all agreed that much more could be learnt if we had visited somewhere else, perhaps with interesting and different aspects.

Garden with unique plants
It was a garden specially built for the daughter of a merchant and it has many exotic plants in there. However, it was not very relevant to our cultural trip and we spent quite some time there when we could have gone elsewhere.

Personal Reflections of Anhui Trip

The trip to Anhui, China was extremely memorable and also rather educational. 

We went to places such as Huangshan,  Baogongci, Sanhe Guzhen, Xidi and Hongcun 

ancient villages, etc.. However, out of all these interesting places, my favorite

 are Huangshan, the visit to the IT companies and the school immersion. Our trip 

covered a wide range of topics that helped to enhance our learning in China, 

of China. This helped us understand many things such as the people, culture, 

technology and products. We also visited many beautiful places to admire the scenery.
In the school immersion, we were each assigned to a buddy. My buddy was a friendly 

and kindhearted girl called Zhang Hai Bei, who greeted me with a hug. We had been 

communicating via email before I went to China and we were very excited to see each 

other. China is known to load their students with massive and unbearable amounts of 

homework yet my buddy set aside so much time to send me an email to get to know me,

 despite the fact that she admitted that it was difficult for her to type in English.

 When we think of Chinese schools, we often visualize students sitting in their 

desks, buried in their piles of textbooks, making little or no forms of social 

interaction. We used to picture zombies in our heads when we think of Chinese 

students. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that they were not what we 

thought they were. They were not only amicable and fun to talk to, they were 

extremely witty and intelligent. The classroom atmosphere was not dull and dreary. 

The students never failed to answer questions with confidence. They treated us like 

one of them and we were more than happy under their care. We often see them 

as “nerds” who fail to strike a balance between their studies and social life and 

we assumed that they were merely workaholics. We came to realize that our assumptions

 were extremely inaccurate. Singaporean students, in comparison, either have a good

 social life or good grades. We fail to have the best of both worlds unless we are

 extremely good at managing our time. We should learn from them in this aspect 

and we will truly benefit in terms of being happier and having a wholesome lifestyle.

 However, something they can improve on is their art module, which is based on a lot

 of rules and guidelines, unlike ours, which gives us room to be creative. My buddy 

was kind and constantly explained the lesson to me in English. Her English vocabulary

was limited but she never gave up trying to help me. This is admirable because she 

showed me that she truly cared for me even though we just met. She also asked me many

 questions. For example, “Do you learn this in Singapore?” so as to try to make what 

they are learning more relevant to me. I miss my buddy very much.
Our trip to the IT companies included iFlytek and Meiling. Meiling is a user-friendly

 refrigerator company which sells fridges in European countries under a different 

name. The iFlytek company was a software company. In my school immersion trip, the 

history teacher mentioned about Korea and Japan copying China (e.g. traditional 

costumes). He said that copying from each other is something that everyone does 

for improvement. This is extremely evident in that of iFlytek’s ‘ideas’. iFlytek 

has adapted ideas from several major companies (e.g. Apple and Samsung). The ability 

to “speak” to the phone to deliver commands and instructions  is one of them. Siri 

was introduced by Apple long ago. Siri could help to issue reminders, send messages, 

make calls, search the Web, etc. The software iFlytek created can now do the exact 

same. Modification and copying is important for us to be on par with others and 

improve ourselves. We take the good points from others and make it our own. 
 I enjoy the hike on Huangshan very much. The steps were steep and sometimes 

difficult to climb. However, my classmates cheered one another one, ocassionally 

waiting for our slower friends and offering each other a sip of our drink or a bite 

of our Snickers bar. My class has definitelhy bonded over this. We got to know each 

other better and every time someone cheered me on, I could feel their care and 

concern as a friend towards me. We suffered together and enjoyed the taste of 

sweet success together as we enjoyed the majestic scenery. We went through much 

together and this reminded me to treasure very single one of my classmates. I 

enjoyed the overall experience very much. This trip is fun and educational. 

Everyone grew individually and also as a 2F family, along with our kind teachers 

who definitely had the patience of a saint. 2F OELP 2014 helped me to understand 

much about China and ask questions about things I want to know more about, and also

to try to answer them independently. I also learnt to be more aware of countries 

outside Singapore and how we should always try to improve. I’m sure our juniors will

 have an enjoyable OELP 2015.
 
-Chu Tingfang
 
 

 
 

As we all know, China and Singapore have close relationships and they have forged 

agreements in free trade, education, foreign investment and technology. These two 

countries constantly help each other; Singapore does its part to help encourage 

cooperation between China and ASEAN while China supports relevant parties solving 

their disputes through peaceful means and negotiations.  Singapore, though small 

in size, is a leader in the region's development. Therefore it weighs heavily in 

China's diplomacy in the region because of its political and economic strength and 

influence. Singapore has also helped China with its economic and administrative 

management expertise, while China's rapid growth offers investment opportunities 

for Singapore. Singapore is willing to tap into the full potential of economic 

transportation this economic cooperation helps to maintain a good relationship 

between these two countries. Singapore's relationship with China is changing over 

time and will continue to change. China may become an advanced world power in 50 

years' time, but it does not mean that Singapore will be squeezed out. Each year 

we have many new immigrants from China to settle down in Singapore. As such, the 

new relation between Singapore and China will continue to develop. The bilateral 

ties will not be broken. 
Our CID learning journey was to Anhui and on the way, we passed by Shanghai. The 

night view was stunning as the skyscrapers shone brightly against the dark sky. 

However it was only a short while before we went ahead and rode on the high speed 

rail to Hefei.
 
 The rapid modernization of China over the past decades has definitely impressed me.

 China was different from how I had expected it to be, its new urban landscape, 

skyscrapers, highways and obvious signs of a higher standard of living were so 

different as opposed to how the country was 30 years ago. The high speed rail is 

one of the modern transportation in China which can replace the need of other 

transportations to different parts of China. I can see that its convenience and 

speed is well liked by tourists and some citizens to travel .I think it is a great 

way to travel comfortably while enjoying the view outside the windows. We passed 

by many villages along the way, perhaps the high speed rail can even make rural 

areas more accessible to everyone. The high speed rail is a sign of globalization 

in China as it shows how China makes use of modern technology. We then visited the

 iFlytek, a company which sells smartphones. All the functions were compacted into

 one single app and it really accommodates to consumers' needs. I like how many of

 the phone's functions can be integrated into daily activities to improve our lives

 and change the way we utilize technology. It was admirable how the company extracts

 a simple idea then innovates and improvises to make it its own creation. The user

 friendly design certainly attracts many customers, enabling the China market to 

catch up with major companies. The Meiling electronic home appliances company is 

also doing well by expanding into the foreign market, it has many famous brands 

under it and it is renamed when shipped to other countries. Their smart fridge is

 a lot more advanced than what we have seen in Singapore, I feel that Singapore 

can do better in developing our local electronic home appliances brands. Meiling 

is a reliable and much trusted company and their reputation is so good that they 

are even exempted from examination for exports. In terms of technology, Singapore

 does not have so many multinational corporations; we can learn from China which 

is strong in research, development, entrepreneurship and start improving on our 

technological development.
 
Also, I can tell that China has put in efforts for maintaining the cultural sites.

 While globalization has made China more modernized and requiring space for further

 expansion, many historical sites are still there. Some parts of them have been 

demolished for construction of other architecture but the rest are rather well 

preserved. We visited the Former Residence of Li Hong Zhang and it was found to be

 in the middle of a shopping district. We were told that what we see today is only 

less than 1/12 of the original! Nevertheless I am impressed that at least the site

 is present up till today and it has undergone renovation. Another example is the 

Huizhou Ancient city, nearly the whole attraction was newly renovated thus we were

 unable to see much of the original historical site. However, part of preservation

 is maintenance and it can be concluded that the government does take note of 

preserving culture. In Sanhe guzhen, I noticed some citizens living in there despite

 it being developed into a tourist attraction. I believe that the Chinese government

 has taken measures by not demolishing these ancient architectures and replacing 

them with apartments and skyscrapers. They also pay close attention to promoting 

China's culture and that is one thing Singapore should learn and can do better. 

However Singapore does have many museums to display and preserve artifacts with 

cultural and historical importance and one of them is the National Museum of 

Singapore. The government has also made plans for sustaining and preserving our

 heritage to halt further loss of historical building to urban redevelopment and

 to recover the built heritage and place identity. Many “shop houses” for instance,

 were saved from the fate of demolition. A country's tradition is unique in its 

own ways and would be irreplaceable once it is lost. That would definitely a pity

 if it all disappeared just because of modern technology.
 
 We were also given the chance to visit the ever so magnificent Huangshan, a 

popular tourist attraction located at the south end of Anhui Province. Since 

its UNESCO World Heritage listing 20 years ago, Huangshan Mountain has taken 

various measures to maintain its natural beauty. For instance, Huangshan pines 

which are native to east China are cared for by specially trained staffs that 

ensure the evergreen tree remains plentiful. The efforts in protecting the 

landscape have won Huangshan more than 40 international and domestic awards. Over 

the past two decades, Huangshan has received nearly 30 million visitors. That is 

why Huangshan is enjoyed and visited by so many tourists and it will only attract 

more to come. Although a total of 19 areas were designated as "Nature Areas", in 

Singapore, no real action plans have been put in place to develop the Singapore 

Green Plan. Apart for the existing two Nature Reserves, Central Catchment and 

Bukit Timah, none of the 19 areas have any legal protection and can be developed 

at any time. The best example of this is Sungei Khatib Bongsu, a wetland site, 

which is threatened by the proposal to have a semi-expressway cutting through its

 core. I feel that Singapore can follow China’s example and do better in nature 

conservation.
 
 What I had enjoyed the most was the visit to a school in Anhui. The students there

 were very hospitable and warmly welcomed us. We attended the same lessons as them

 and got a chance to interact with the local students. It was an enriching 

experience, we learn just about the same things yet the methods of teaching are

 so different and the way students respond to them differ as well. Learning in 

China is more student-initiated as all of them already know what is to be taught

 and they have revised beforehand. It is also a habit of theirs to spontaneously 

volunteer an answer in class. The teachers do not have to call upon names for one

 to answer a question like in Singapore. Their curriculum is also more flexible as

 they have a 10 minutes break after each lesson for them to relax and mingle around.

 This provides a good balance between work and play. Meanwhile in Singapore, our 

teaching is more creative and hands on. We like to study things outside of the 

textbook to have a greater understanding of the subject. Perhaps, students in China

 adopt a more serious attitude towards school and have to be more attentive and 

since their parents had paid a lot of money just for them to get into a good school.

 It was only expected for them to be the crème of the crop; this competitive streak

 encourages them to study harder so as to not lose out.
 
Most importantly, I saw for myself whether old is better than new. I first started

 by comparing the modern days with the older ones. Both have their good points and

 their bad ones. And as time passes by, many things have influenced and what we have

 now is without a doubt, different from what it was a century ago. However, the 

biggest difference between the past and the present is technology and how we 

communicate. This has affected us in the way we act and our thoughts. Many of the

 younger generations are not exposed to traditional ways and simply dismiss them 

as unimportant. Yet, countless choices in human lives are reinforced, driven by 

from traditions, whether religious traditions or what is passed down from ancestors.

 As many cultures throughout history have found, traditional ways can often help 

enhance rather than undermine sustainable life choices. Therefore I concluded that

 old is actually the building block of new. Improvements cannot be made without the 

old as people would only realize a need for development when looking back. Then 

would they understand the limitless possibilities in progress and feel more inspired.

 The old is in no way less significant than the new as one can use it as a yardstick

 to gauge how far we have come or use as a reference to make new changes. That is 

one thing no one should forget thus it was the most important lesson learnt.
 
The whole idea of an overseas cultural trip is a new and creative way for active

 learning. I have definitely been exposed to more Chinese culture, history and 

heritage. This valuable knowledge may be found on textbooks but the actual experience

 further enhanced my understanding. What I had enjoyed the most was learning about

 the rich history of China while taking in the spectacular scenery. I learnt to

 appreciate the different cultures of China and made many comparisons between China 

and Singapore along the way.  I also thought about the significance of objects and

 how almost everything can be related back to history and culture. After this OELP

 trip, I was better able to understand how globalization has affected the culture

 and daily lives of the Chinese. This really honed my critical thinking skills and

 made me consider things from other viewpoints. I really hope that the school would

 provide us with more opportunities to go for such immersion trips in future. 
 
-Liu Xingyu Kathy
 

On the 25th of May, our class started our OELP trip to China. When we first 

arrived in China, I was not quite sure what to expect. However, as we explored 

China as a class, I was able to have a deeper understanding of China. 
Personally, I think that the most memorable point about China is their history.

 Through this OELP trip, we got to learn about many historical characters like Li 

Hong Zhang and Bao Gong and the stories behind them. After visiting these places, 

I understood more about how China ended up how they are now and what China was like

 in the past. By visiting looking at the architect of the houses at the historical 

places and ancient villages, I was also able to learn about China’s culture and 

values. A few specific examples would be the many writings around the houses, houses

 having doors only for servants and a specific place where women have to stay in till

 they are married. These showed the values that the people felt were important, for 

example, being filial, and also showed how there was a culture consisting of very 

distinct and segregated statuses. After going to these places, I am now able to 

appreciate my life now more as I get to study and go out freely even though I am a 

female.
As the trip continues, we went to companies and schools to study more on the current

 China. To me, the current China is definitely improving and that is because they 

are competitive. The companies in China are producing many innovative ideas to 

compete with other countries while the students in China are studying very hard for

 a high position in the world. I think that having a competitive spirit is very 

important and we should learn from China is this aspect instead of being complacent

 because our country is already developed.
As we look around China, it is inevitable that we bond more as a class too. As we 

climb the 8 km through Huangshan, we encouraged each other and fight on together as

 one. When we took pictures together as a class and laughed together, I felt like we

 really bonded well. During and after the tough climb, some of us felt really cold 

or had terrible muscle ache. When we saw this, many of us helped each other and it

 was a really heart-warming scene. Another heart felt moment for me was when we 

finished the climb as we all felt the sense accomplishment. That was the moment 

when we can all proudly say that 2F conquered Huangshan together! 
After this OELP trip, I believe that 2F learned much more about China and grew as

 a class. After all the nights going into each other’s room, sharing our experiences

 and learning, taking down notes together, the trip was definitely very meaningful 

for me. I believe that OELP trips will continue to be great learning experiences and 

bonding trips for River Valley High School students and I definitely did not regret 

going for this trip.

-Lee Yi Xuan

I felt that trip to Anhui, China  was very fun , educational and interesting .

 I enjoyed myself and also learned a lot of different things . When we went to 

the industrial visits to eg. Iflytek and meiling factory, I was really amazed 

by the improvement in technology. All the while I always thought that China was

 just a devolping country and that people outside of Beijing or Shanghai are not

 so devolved and industrialized . Iflytek presented its version of voice technology .

 I was pretty amazed that the technology is able to translate dialect into Chinese.

 If you speak dialect like teochew or Cantonese, Iflytek is able help you translate .

 From my point of view, I feel china is doing well in industrializing and modernizing

 China . They have invested well in improving technology and this can aid in having 

a better and richer economy. 
 
I attended class with students from anhui . After spending 4 hours for 2 days with

 them , I am able to see the difference between the study environment between the

 school here in Singapore and in anhui . The students are very participative , 

disciplined and are very smart. The classroom size is smaller compared to Singapore ,

 however there are at least 50 students In one class in the school in anhui.  I also

 heard that the school fees of this school is really expensive. Whereas the 

Singapore government has heavily subsidies for us . 
 
In anhui , I also learned about the cultures and history of china. Visiting places

 like the residence of lihongzhang and baogong , I learned about their different

 contributions to China. Visiting hongcun and xidi , I learned of the cultures of

 past china. The old town has shown me that education was important during the old

 times and still is now. I also went to huangshan to experience the scenery . 

Nature surrounded the entire mountain and it was very beautiful. The scenery at 

hongcun and xidi was also very calming . I had experienced and learned a lot during

 the trip . I really wish to comeback again and also learn more things. 
 

-Lionel 
 

Throughout these 7 days in China, I feel that our class has got to know each 

other better. Also, the fact that this would be our last year together as a class

 further motivates each of us to interact more with the class. There were many 

times that the class was extremely talkative outside and made a lot of noise. 

However, we did quieten down with a bit of warning. Just like the first day, when

 we were having our lunches and dinners, we did not bother about the teachers and

 just went on eating and chatting. That night in the briefing room, the teachers

 mentioned it and immediately the day after I could see the changes where teachers

 would get questions on what drinks they wanted to have or get the first scoop of 

rice. Another impressive factor that our class did really well in was the 

punctuality in the morning. We had a midnight flight and by the time we reached 

the hotel in China it was already 1am. The checking in, bathing and changing of 

clothes and not to forget brushing of teeth took the time to nearly 3am before we

 went to sleep. I was certain everybody would be tired and will take longer than 

normal to wake up. Even so because we were supposed to wake up early tomorrow too. 

When the time reached, I opened my eyes but did not feel tired. I realised my 

classmates may need help in getting up and decided to knock on their doors. A few 

other of my friends did this too and in the end everyone ended up being punctual 

for assembly in the lobby. I think this attitude of helping each other is 

commendable. Just like me and my roommate, we depend on each other. There are 

times when I will wake him up and times when he will wake me up. Also, during the 

first few bus trips, many of us were either sleeping or listening to music. After 

a gentle reminder, we only waited till the guide gave us the permission to rest did

 we do so. One of the days, we took a bullet train. I unfortunately lost my ticket

 and it only thanks to the guide that I was able to board. I learnt that we should

 be more aware of our surroundings and being more responsible to our belongings as

 we are in a place we do not know well with strangers we have never met before. 

Back at hotels, the guys were especially noisy and kept running about and laughing

 or talking really loudly. We were one of the lucky classes that were allowed to 

go to each other’s rooms but we took that for granted. I think our class should 

work on being grateful for what benefits/priorities we have. Our beloved guides 

have taught us a lot too about the traditions of China and its atmosphere. The 

school that we went was the best in the district. Their school fees are unbelievably

 high and for that I think we should remind ourselves of our heavily subsidised 

school fees. In a result of that, the students in their class are extremely 

attentive and give it their all every single day in hopes of getting better in 

their studies and getting into the school they want. All this so that they can 

get a good job and support their family in the future. I believe we students in 

Singapore should learn this aspect from them. In a nutshell, I feel our class 

matured a bit in this trip to China, and although we needed a few reminders on 

our behaviour outside and inside, I feel that the class have learnt from their 

mistakes and this will apply to our daily lives.
 
-Gerald Goh Jun Yi

Group picture and reflections

(Top: Gerald Goh, Lionel. Bottom: Yi Xuan, Ting Fang, Kathy)

Lionel's Reflections:

During my holiday, I went to Yogyakarta, Indonesia. I went there for 3 months. I enjoyed my stay in Yogyakarta as it was a very fascinating and amazing place.I went to many tourist attractions like the Borobudur temple. It is one of the worlds’ famous temple .The monument consists of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues

I also went to Mt Merapi. Its an active volcano, last eruption in 2010. On the foot of the volcano, I saw burnt cars and graves of those who lost their lives in the eruption. It was a little tragic but the scenery there is still beautiful.

Lastly, I find my trip to Yogyakarta very fruitful. I saw the poverty and plight ofthe numerous beggars living on the street. This trip has taught me to always appreciate the things I have .

Gerald's Reflections:

I did not go overseas during this holiday, but I did celebrate my nephews one year old birthday. He is extremely cute and loves to stare at you as though he had some long grudge against you. It may be kinda scary but it's also cute in its own way!

Ting Fang's Reflections:

Okinawa was absolutely stunning. It had the freshest air I had ever taken in and the healthiest yet most mouth-watering food I have ever tried. The people there were very friendly and the environment was so clean despite the fact that there weren't many dustbins around, which led me to the conclusion that the Japanese were so disciplined to keep the litter with them instead of taking the easy way out and littering. The ocean was unlike any other i have seen in the many countries I've visited. It had different shades of blue yet it was crystal clear. If only I could spend another seven days in Okinawa, an island of paradise!

Yi Xuan's Reflections:

During the December holidays, I went back to school almost everyday. Every week, I had to go back around three days to practice the Free Style Drill as I am now part of the team. Whenever there is no practice for FSD, I would either have to go to school for the Tan Kah Kee competition or to practice our platoon dance.

On the 27th of December, our year 4 seniors in NCC had their ROD. As it was a big event, our platoon prepared a dance to perform. We were very nervous to go up the stage that day as our dance was not prefect. However, we did fine during our performance and also got cheers from the audience.

After our performance was bonding time with our seniors. We gave them many presents while they gave us some too. They gave us each a scrapbook that they took a whole week to make. We were very touched by it and we cried when we went through the book at home.

The December holidays did not feel like a holiday at all. I was really busy and hardly had time to do my homework. However, I was glad that we got to bond with many of our seniors.

Kathy's Reflections:

Last year was the best vacation of my life, because together with my parents, I visited the Great Wall of China, one of the seven wonders of the world! There are several reasons why it was my best vacation. First of all, I like visiting historic place and the Great Wall is a historic site. The construction of the Wall first began during the about 2,500 years ago. Some kingdoms built huge walls hoping to protect their territories. The Great Wall is of great significance as it reflects much of China’s extensive history and that was what made our trip there meaningful and educational.

Chingay Parade

Kathy:

I think that this year's Chingay really brings out the spirit of Singapore, the outstanding costumes, the wonderful performances and the fireworks display were only the few highlights of the Chingay event. The theme for this time's Chingay is 'Colours of Fabric, One People'. It is a true extravaganza involving thousands of volunteers of all works of life and diverse ethnic backgrounds to come together for one common purpose. Chingay is not just a celebration of Lunar New Year for the Chinese in Singapore, different races are invited to take part and perform in this parade. Many participants of diverse ethnicities and nationalities joined in and worked as one. Seeing all the different races in Singapore unite showed the racial harmony in Singapore and that was the most heartwarming part.

Yi Xuan:

Personally, I did not go for the Chingay parade because I was sick on that day. However, when we had to present about the parade, I saw many pictures and also heard many wonderful experiences during the parade from my classmates. Chingay is a celebration for everyone of all races, not just the Chinese. Looking at the pictures of the Chingay parade, there are many people from all races and they all looked really happy. The theme of this year's parade, 'Colours of fabric, One people' also shows how bonded the different people of different races in Singapore is. Although there was many volunteers and audiences of different races, there was no chaos. Everyone worked really well together to perform a wonderful performance and the audiences enjoyed too, cheering loudly. Just by hearing from my friends and looking at the pictures of the Chingay parade, I could tell that it was a very fun event. I hope that next time, I would be able to attend the Chingay parade myself too.

Ting Fang:

The Chingay parade was amazing. We saw a wide range of performanves which were a clear representation of all the diverse cultures. Singapore is a multi-racial country. From Chingay, I learnt that we are of different roots yet we are all Singaporeans. This was evident in many parts of the performance. The theme is " Colours of Fabric, One People." In the performance itself, we got the chance to witness many traditional performances individually and combined traditional performances, for example, a Chinese man and a Malay man hitting the two different sides of a drum together. Each man has their own rhythm and beat, yet it sounds simply beautiful together. This is a form of unity. The fact that we are different yet we all can contribute to Singapore is something that clearly shows how we are like these fabrics, yet we are one. We are one because we are Singaporeans. This shows that we embrace who we are and also where we come from. Apart from the performances, we could also witness a form of the theme, " Colours of Fabric, One People" amongst the audience. We, the audience, come from different schools. We are of different races, different family backgrounds and there isnt  any of us who is exactly the same as another person. We cheered together as an audience, despite of our differences, celebrating Singapore's racial harmony. Despite our differences on stage, amongst the audience and outside Chingay itself, we must learn to live harmoniously with other races as one Singapore, just as the pledge goes " regardless of race, language or religion. " Chingay 2014 was truly eye opening. 

Lionel:

I went to the chingay parade , and I saw many beautiful , interesting and amazing floats there. I am sure the volunteers have gave their full effort for this chingay parade. I have really enjoyed myself and also learn a few things too. From the chingay parade , I can see the cultures of Singapore and I also saw the 'batik' which represents SINGAPORE united as one and also closely followed by its theme 'colours of fabric , one people.' The atmosphere was exuberant and lively with the audience cheering loudly . I felt that chingay parade 2014 is really a meaningful and amazing one.

Gerald Goh:

I feel that the Chingay event was a spectacular event with different races coming together as one, knitted together to present a wonderful performance. The goodie bags contained a lot of useful items like poms poms and even an energy bar to keep us going. Everybody was enthusiastic after having seen the races dancing to trendy music and ppl from different age groups and cultures coming together to really bring out the best performance for everyone. Overall it was an amazing and eye-opening day. Given a chance, I would definitely go there again.

One Lesson We Have Learned In CID Lessons

Kathy:

I learnt more about presentation skills, how to keep my audience engaged in the presentation and how to make the slides for visually appealing. For example, a presentation should not have too many words as it is boring to read. Instead, illustrations and pictures can be used to prove our points. Also, we should enunciate clearly and maintain eye contact with the audience at all times. This is one of the things that I have learnt from the CID lessons thus far.

Ting Fang:

I learnt how to always try to make my powerpoint stand out and also to enhance the way I present my ideas, such that the information is easily processed by the audience. I also learnt to only say necessary information so as to prevent confision. Not only that, i came to realize that illustrations are also a very effective way of presenting our points to our readers, rather than making then visualize everything themselves. In conclusion, I learnt how we should always make our presentation easy to understand for the reader and how we should minimize confusion too.  

Yi Xuan:

One thing I learned in CID lessons is how to make good and effective power point slides. I learned to use contrasting colours for the background and text of the power point slides and how big the font should at least be. I also learned different ways to catch the audience's attention with my slides,. For example, pictures can be added to either catch attention or to allow better visualization. I also learned to link back to a theme when presenting so that my whole presentation will be focused.

Lionel:

One thing I learned in CID is definitely good presentation. Slides have to be short good, simple. Colors must be visible to audience, words clear to them. Not too bright , not too dull. Words cannot be lengthy and always have eye contact. The presentation must be engaging and well understood by audience. These small little things learned during CID lessons are very important. Our presentation should always be on topic and must always answer the question. CID made me able to learn more 
stuff inside and outside of school too.

Gerald Goh:

CID so far has been great for me. At the start, the group didn't exactly consist of ppl whom I like but over time that we have spent as a group together in China, I feel we have really learnt to work together as a team. I think what we wanted to manage to accomplish in China was fairly well done. So the one thing I've learnt is teamwork and how to learn to accept opinions from others and come out with better ideas together as a group

Jobs

Leader and note taker: Kathy Liu ( She manages the group and jot down important points. She also make sure that the work is done.)

Resource manager: Chu Ting Fang(She helps to collate all work done by each member to send to the blogger to post. Buys the file for everyone and uses her file as our group's file )

Blogger and assistant leader: Lee Yixuan ( She designs the blog, post up all the posts and edit things before posting. She also manages the email account and helps manage the group.)

Photographer: Gerald Goh ( He takes pictures and write the captions for the pictures)

Researcher: Lionel Chong (He finds out more information on selected topics to share with the others.)

Happiness, Fear, School Spirit and Life

Happiness

  The sense of happiness is achieved as this young man finally manages to do 1 pull up . Friends around him cheering for him  shows another sense of happiness.

Fear

      

    Fear , this young man is feeling a little petrified of sitting down for quite a long period, his legs and buttock  are aching .

School Spirit

 This picture shows the anniversary celebration of our school . We rejoice and celebrate the anniversary  .the school band is present to start playing the birthday song. There is a cake in the middle of the stage for this happy day

Life

    The decoration of a classroom has beauty , excellence ,majesty and very lifely. Done by students with much care, happiness and initiated to decorate for the Chinese New Year. Lifely spirits of the students has led people with smiles as they walk pass their classroom.

Poverty in singapore

As you can see, there are many homeless people sleeping on roads. 

One quarter of Singapore households below poverty line

Poverty in singapore is different from that  of other countries. The poor and needy in our society struggle with “relative poverty” — their financial resources fall substantially below what is needed to pay for the necessities of living in Singapore. nDue to various factors like health issues and family circumstances, they struggle to survive on a day-to-day basis. Moreover, they are caught in a vicious poverty cycle, with little or no means to make a better life for themselves. Their children are often not able to do better than their parents due to lack of access to knowledge and educational support. For example, the child would quit school to work and supplement the family’s income, simply trying to put food on the table. However, it is possible to break the cycle within many generations. One way is to focus on our younger generation. Programmes like money-management workshops allow children to grasp the concept of money and how to use it wisely. Upgrading of work skills also allow adults to gain a more competitive edge in the job market, while better coping with economic challenges. It is also crucial for the children to be well educated and gain knowledge for their access to a brighter future!