Reflection

This 7D6N trip to Shanghai/Yangzhou had been a really eventful and memorable one for me. Although I had been to China countless times, this was actually my first time going overseas all by myself with my classmates. Before the trip, my parents had been instructing me on how much to spend when I was there, how to tidy up my clothes. At first, I didn't listen fully them as I felt like they were saying useless things. However, when I got there I found out that I had to be independent, I couldn't rely on my parents anymore and I have to do things for myself, I have to make the right choices for myself. I am known for being indecisive sometimes so this trip has actually helped me a lot in making the right choices. Also, being far away from our parents, makes us cherish them much more. Everyday, every minute, we would think of them. We would miss their love and care. When we fall sick, they would be there to take care of us. But now, we have to take care of ourselves. 
As we spend more time with our friends, the more we know them, the closer or worse our friendship gets. From this trip, we have learnt not only the good but also the bad points of our friend's personalities. We may quarrel or even fight sometimes, but the amount of time we spend together makes up for our friendship, allowing us to bond more as a class. 
During this trip, we had visited many places with breathtaking sceneries which had interesting histories. I really enjoyed the trip to the Yipu garden in Yangzhou. Since it was summer when we went to Yangzhou, the flowers had already bloomed. The color contrast of the different flowers together was really unforgettable. The garden has a dynastic feel to it. It covers a very large area which is filled with green. It has many interesting plants. For example, the tour guide had introduced us to a tree which had once been struck by lightning. It was still alive but had not been able to grow well. Therefore, another tiny tree was grown beside it as support to allow this tree to continue living on. To me, this portrays love between two family members. When the older generation's health is deteriorating from illness, the younger one will take care of him or her. I feel that this is a really touching scene. 
In this garden, there is also a bridge which is designed in a zig-zag manner. One of the meaning behind this bridge's structure is to ward off ghosts as it is believed that such supernatural creatures move only in one direction so they would be unable to cross the bridge. I thought that this was really cool, it was my first time seeing something like this. 
My favorite dining area was the "HaiDiLao" restaurant. Their service was perfect. They attended to every single one of our needs. They gave us rubber bands to tie our hair when we eat so that our hair would not fall into our food. They gave us glasses cloths in case our glasses gets fogged up by the steam from the hotpot. Other than that, they escorted us from our tour bus to our seats, and if we wanted to use the toilet, they would escort us there. Not to mention, their toilets are actually really clean. When you come out of the toilet. One of the waitress will stand there and turn the tap for us to wash our hands. Afterwards she would hand us a tissue napkin for us to dry our hands. Then, she would bring us back to our tables. One thing i really like about this restaurant is how their workers treat their customers. Usually in other restaurants, the workers look unhappy with their jobs. But in this restaurant, their smiles are really sincere. Showing how much they want to serve us, how much they like and enjoy working here. I respect their love for this job and I look up to them. Other than this, they also have a child play area for young children, they also have a television located in the dining area for parents to watch their children so they would feel at ease knowing how their child is doing in the playroom. They also have free manicure services for people who have finished dining. The services of this restaurant has really amazed me, thus I would never forget this experience.
After this trip, I started to understand the differences between China and Singapore. I made many friends from Yangzhou and contacted them almost everyday. I began to cherish Singapore's facilities more, i learnt about Yangzhou's history and also about Shanghai's. If I had a chance I would love to go back to Yangzhou, to relive the memories I had from this trip, to meet with my Yangzhou friends once again. 
-Sheryl Mah 2G (13) 

OELP REFLECTION~Lixian

OELP 2014 to Shanghai and Yangzhou has been an eyeopener for me. As a girl that has never set foot in China, this trip was indeed memorable and fun. Before this trip, I had an image of China as being very polluted in environment and corrupted in government. The Chinese in my mind were extremely rude and inconsiderate. To be honest, I did not want to visit China at all. However, a great deal changed after this trip. I have learnt to realize that China is a beautiful country rich in culture and history.

Firstly, Shanghai was once a concession area for the foreigners due to wars and treaties in the late Qing dynasty. Hence, the buildings in Shanghai appeared to be more western influenced. The Chinese did not get rid of all these significant buildings. They realized that these buildings represent Shanghai history. Each building represents one country near the Huang Pu Jiang. All these buildings were standing tall and sharing their story to everybody about Shanghai's history. Also, there is Pudong and Puxi. These two areas have a distinct difference as Pudong has more skyscrapers and more modern, advanced buildings, whereas Puxi showcase the Old Shanghai, keeping the Old Shanghai buildings, such as those in Tian Zi Fang. The way the Chinese managed to incorporate eastern into western, new into old in their way of preserving Shanghai's history is something that amaze me a lot. It is not easy to even keep a building, let alone so many of them and yet at the same time, create a new purpose, rekindle the fire in the old and battered building. Yangzhou's buildings are a lot less modernized as compared to Shanghai. However, most Yangzhou's buildings portrayed the image of the Tang, Ming or Qing dynasty. When walking in Dongquanmen and Dongguanjie, it is not difficult to picture people from these dynasties walking on the exact same piece of land that we were walking on. All these showcase the wit and intelligence of the Chinese in the area of tourism. With all these buildings to act as tourist attraction, it is not difficult for China to attract tourists and thus, boosting the already swelling economic. Also, China is made up of a very large piece of land. In Yangzhou, we visited the Shanghai Volkswagen factory. The factory was huge and has a lot of workers. I learnt that it is impossible for Singapore to provide such large area for a company as Singapore has a lack of land. Also, China has a large population. The workers' salaries can thus be lower as there are a lot of people who will need the job. With such a low cost, the profits earned will be greater and thus, China will be a better investment. Hence, Singapore will lose out as the factories may slowly move out of Singapore. This will eventually take a toll on Singapore's economic and thus leave a great impact on Singapore. Hence, I have learnt that whatever that is happening outside Singapore will leave an impact at Singapore too. Also, the air quality in Shanghai and Yangzhou were actually not as bad as what I thought it would be. Hence, the image of China has certainly changed for the better.

Secondly, I learnt how beautiful the Chinese were. They were friendly people who said hi to us even thought they may not have the idea of where Singapore is. Almost every place we visited, the Chinese would smile at us and took the initiative to make a small chat with us. They would often ask us where we were from and inquired further about Singapore. The students at the local exchange school were very warm and kind. They spoke to us as if we have known each other all our lives. They share with us their school life and even tried to translate it into English when we do not understand somethings. Their hospitality warms us. We will never how they take the meal box, fruits, soup and utensils for us during lunch. The teachers were kind and patient with us. They taught us their local culture about the Dragon boat Festival. They taught us how to make a net like necklace known as 长命缕. It was meant for children to wear on the day of the Dragon boat Festival to ward off the evil spirits. We never knew of all these in Singapore. Also, they taught us how to male 中国结. It is not easy to make one of that and the students helpers were extremely helpful. They explained the steps clearly and even helped us when we faced some problems. It is also at the local exchange school that we learnt of the way Yangzhou people made dumplings. Their way of wrapping dumplings is different from Singapore. We get hands-on experience on all these activities. The canteen staff were kind-hearted and were extremely patient. We were clueless as how to make the dumplings and they taught us again and again without complaints. The students there helped along as well. They even cooked the dumplings and gave them to us. The hospitality and kind-heartedness of the Chinese were fully portrayed here. At the paper-cutting museum, the ladies there gave us clear and specific instructions on how to cut the paper. They were hovering beside us, afraid that we might injure ourselves with the sharp scissors. Their care and concern for us will never be forgotten. All these were enough to showcase the nice Chinese, but there is one specific incident which I am very surprised and thankful for. When we visited the Daming temple, the pagoda was not included in the package. My friends and I decided to try to climb up the pagoda. The ticket was originally 20 yuan. However, after the lady at the counter learnt that we were students from Singapore, she decided to give us student price, which is 10 yuan. I was genuinely surprised by the kind-hearted lady as we had neither teaches/tour guides or our student cards with us at that moment. This incident taught me not to judge a book by its cover. The previous image of the Chinese in my mind was long gone before I even realized it. I can say for certain that I am now more aware of the Chinese values and beliefs. Their daily actions say a lot about their values and beliefs in treating others.

Last but not least, I am not a Singaporean but I am proud to be studying in this land that provides so many opportunities to explore the world beyond me. The Chinese did well in preserving and promoting their culture through tourism and perhaps Singapore can learn to organize more activities that will teach the future generation about the Chinese culture in Singpore.

This trip was like no other and it is also a memory for 2G who will be splitting class next year. The knowledge gained and the lessons learned will be always in my heart.

Personal Reflection - Zhang Yue(21)

这次的交流之旅令我亲身体会了中国的文化特色与5000年悠久的历史，在旅程中所碰到的每件事、物或人都给了我新的启发或改变了我的一些想法，也与此同时让我对中国有了更深的了解。

通过这次的交流之旅，我能够更加明白中国对新加坡的影响。以中国现在迅速的经济发展趋势来看，新加坡以后会有很多和中国贸易、投资与合作的机会，可能有时也会需要中国的帮助，因此两国的良好关系十分重要，而新加坡人也应该更注重双语教育，让我们在精通英语的同时，能够了解中国的历史和文化，这会有利于两国的交往。

除了中国对新加坡的影响以外，在这次旅程中，我能够更加仔细地观察我的周围。我们去的每一个地方背后都有着他们自己的故事，无论是一个景点或是一栋建筑物，他们拥有着自己的特色、发扬着自己独特的文化，而这些历史和文化承载了老一代美好的回忆和他们过去的艰苦，并能够激励我们这些后代不辜负前辈们的努力。我从这些地方得到了不同的启发，也更加理解了当地的习俗、生活习惯、信仰等。

在第一天，我们来到了中国港口最大、经济最发达也是最西化的城市—上海。上海有着悠久的文化与历史，我们从上海的田子坊看到了旧上海的模样，也在上海的法租界和外滩看到了一些从上海以前被殖民后留下的建筑物，以及他们如何保留自己的文化遗产。

就以上海的外滩来说，在那里，我们看到了很多幢各国风格迥异的建筑物，它们各自有着来自不同国家的风格，如维多利亚哥特式、古希腊式、中西合璧式等等，因而也被称为万国建筑博览群。我认为最吸引人的是这些建筑物展现了不同国家的独有文化和建筑风格，并反映了上海以前被其他国家殖民时的模样，因此富有着历史价值和文化气息。我们也从这些不同国家风格的建筑物看出了上海的自由文化，在大街上偶尔会看到一些外国人，看得出上海人并不介意引入外国文化和时尚。

从这些完好保留下来的建筑物，我们也看到了上海对于保留历史与文化所作出的努力和贡献，但他们不忘记与时并进，一幢幢古典的大楼内被设计装潢得摩登而前卫。在晚上夜游黄浦江时，我们可以看到建筑物上美丽的霓虹灯。我认为他们把传统风格的建筑物与现代的高科技融合在一起，取得了一个平衡，因此才能在保留历史的同时，不被现代化迅速的发展趋势而淘汰掉。

其次，我觉得上海人很聪明，他们把这片区域发展成上海的观光景点和风景线，吸引更多旅客来，让这些历史性建筑物发挥最大的潜质和存在价值，成为当地的地标，代表他们的文化和历史，并确保这些文化遗产不会因为失去价值而被拆除。我觉得新加坡可以向上海学习，把更多富有华族文化和历史意义的元素融入观光景点和建筑风格内，再和现代科技融合，以此把华族文化发扬光大。

来到上海，我们不可忽略的是它经济上的成就，上海是中国经济最发达的城市，而又是什么铸就了它今日的繁荣呢？我们在游览各个景点以及了解他们的历史时似乎找到了答案。

上海的母亲河—黄浦江，可以说在推动上海的经济发展上功不可没。黄浦江两岸的综合开发使它成为了城市旅游风景线的杰作，而通过建立政府宏观引导和市场化运作相结合的综合开发机制，吸引国内外多元投资，并吸引着无数旅客前来观光。我们在船游黄浦江时，西岸的万国建筑群与浦东新区的现代建筑如新地标—东方铁塔，从船上看去一目了然，景色十分美丽。导游也在一旁解释着黄浦江如何推动上海的观光业，单单我们所乘坐的船，一天就可以赚上不少钱。在两岸也可以看到许多国际品牌的商店标志以及一些高档酒店，如香格里拉酒店等，足以展现上海经济的繁荣。

上海的外滩和法租界也是吸引着旅客的景点之一，而外滩自上海开埠后就开始成为了上海乃至中国的金融及贸易中心，也被称为“东方华尔街”。这里建立了许多外资银行，成为了鼓励财政投资的场所。

我们在上海城市规划馆里，也看到了他们关于过去旧上海的展览、现在城市的模型以及对未来的蓝图，这确保他们能够更好地规划上海，让它在进步的同时，不会遗忘它的历史和过去拼搏时的辛酸。

而在我们吃饭的“海底捞”火锅店里，我们发掘了这家店之所以办得这么成功的原因。进入饭店内，服务员热情地招呼我们，一路上不仅有人为我们指引方向，每一位服务员也会向我们打招呼，并没有把我们当做是小孩子，而是令人尊敬的顾客。用餐时，他们细心地为我们准备了擦眼镜用的毛巾、扎头发用的牛皮筋和为了不弄脏衣服用的围裙，并一直留意着我们需不需要添加饮料，体贴入微。在为我们往火锅里加入食材时，他们也会耐心地介绍这是什么食材、怎么样比较好吃等等。我们完全不需要去要求他们为我们服务或是帮忙做什么，他们会很主动、很周到地为我们服务。我们都很享受用餐的过程，并切身体验到了他们“以人为本”的优质服务态度。导游说明了这几火锅店里的店员都持有着饭店的股份，因此自然而然地会更努力、用心地工作，给饭店带来更大的盈利。正是因为这种独特的经营模式和员工管理，使海底捞火锅在企业界里取得了巨大的成功。

接下来，我们来到了中国24座历史文化名城之一—扬州。在治春茶社吃完早餐后，我发现原来扬州人的早餐分量比较大，因为他们一天只吃两餐，而且他们的早餐里面粉类比较多，像三丁包、肉包、菜包、水饺等。我们都不太习惯他们的生活方式和饮食文化，因此很多人都无法把早餐全部吃完，但我们学会去接受不同地方的生活习惯，以及去理解他们的做法。

后来我们去了瘦西湖，并船游了二十四桥。一路上，导游向我们介绍了许多关于扬州和这些风景胜地的历史与文化，例如瘦西湖和二十四桥的由来、赞美扬州风景的诗句等等。这些历史令我们更加了解扬州今日的模样以及当地的一些文化和特色。李白的诗句：“故人西辞黄鹤楼，烟花三月下扬州。”就是形容扬州的市树—杨柳如烟一般的柳絮，以及而扬州的市花—琼花，在春天三月绽放的美景。我们还看到了曾经被雷劈开但“枯木逢生”的银杏树以及紫薇树，也称为“痒痒树”。

然后，我们欣赏了谢馥春的千秋粉黛表演，其中有一些传统乐器的表演、舞蹈还有木偶戏，表演者在谢幕时装扮成扬州历代有名的美女。我们都沉浸在浓厚的历史气息中，虽然我们对这些不太熟悉，但她们的表演让我们大开眼界，并让我们对扬州的历史和文化有了更深的了解。

接下来我们去了中国雕刻印刷博物馆，以前的人们刚刚发明雕刻印刷术，要印刷东西很费劲，不像我们现在有打印机这么方便。我们参观完展览，便去看那里的专业人员如何雕刻和印刷，其中需要耗费很多精力，也需要很大的耐心和意志力，让我们很佩服他们。在拥有方便的打印机时，我们不能忘记先祖为人类文明作出的贡献。这些重要的历史和文化激励着我们，并提醒我们不能把我们现在所拥有的当做理所当然。

然后，我们在游览东关门历史文化街时，看到了许多有关于“扬州三把刀”的售品，以及一些传统的玩具、用品、还有老一辈很爱吃的麦芽糖。这些都体现了扬州或中国特有的传统文化。一路上我们也看到了很多仿古的建筑物，很多家店的设计也模仿了过去的建筑物，如他们的店牌会用木质书法牌匾，体现了扬州建筑物古色古香的历史风貌特点。然后我们去了东圈门历史街，导游说可以用 “唐宋元明清，从古看到今” 来形容扬州的古街，因为这里文化历史悠久，所以可以从这些建筑物看到各个朝代的踪迹。东圈门历史街是文化保护区，我们在这里看到了很多清朝盐商的私家别院，还有江泽民的故居。穿过一条条小巷，我们感受到了这里人们淳朴的性格，很多人拿着一个小板凳就坐在家门口吃饭，简单的粗茶淡饭依然吃得津津有味。

第二天，我们来到了扬大附中东部分校，和那里的学生进行交流，发现了一些新加坡学生和他们不一样的地方。

首先，我们应该向他们学习的是他们的学习态度以及对老师的尊敬。例如，在向老师行礼时，他们因为参加过军训，所以动作十分一致，而且干净利落，不像我们在新加坡上课时，向老师敬礼都是慢吞吞地站起来，再散散落落地说“老师好”。和他们一起上课时，我也发现他们都非常专心，一点小动作也没有，不会因为任何事情被转移了注意力，也不会和同桌偷偷聊天，而我们上课时常常会在老师讲课的时候和周围的同学说话，或是因为平板电脑而被转移了注意力。他们上课时的坐姿也十分端正，腰部挺直，双手都放在桌上，反观我们上课时常常会看到有些同学趴在书桌上，或是东倒西歪地用手肘撑着头。当老师提问时，中国的同学会很积极地举手回答，给出相关的答案，而在我们上课时如果老师提问，明明有人知道答案却不愿回答，也有同学不举手就随便喊出答案，还常常有同学会开玩笑，给一些风马牛不相及的搞笑答案。我也认为学校可以考虑像他们的学校一样，让学生有午休的时间，或可以试试做眼保健操，让我们休息一下，放松放松。

不过经过这次交流，我为自己是新加坡人而感到骄傲，也更加珍惜就读于新加坡学校的一些好处。例如，我们上课时没有那么正式，会轻松有趣很多，而且我们在学校上课的时间也比他们短。听中国学生说，他们每个星期的课外活动只有短短45分钟，其他时间都是在学习，因此我也感到很庆幸我们能够有更多的课外活动时间，让我们能够培养自己的兴趣爱好，以及学习更多课本上学习不到的东西，如团队的合作精神、个人的领导能力、运动员精神等等。这令我们能够往更多方面发展，学会更多技能，并更好地与人相处。我们这边上课时条件也稍微好一些，能用到更多的科技，上课更加方便。我们的厕所卫生条件更好，而我们的食堂所能够选择的食物也更多，让我们能够按照自己的喜好来选择要吃些什么。我以前觉得我们学业很繁重、上课时间很长而且没有什么自由，但经过这次交流后，我发现其实我们和他们比起来上学更轻松有趣，而且学生的自由也更多。

接下来，我们去了卢氏豪宅享用晚餐。这里曾经是以前一名富裕的卢氏盐商的住处，室内的设计十分雅致，多数家具都是木制的，上面还有一些美丽的雕刻，给人一种复古的感觉。这家特别的餐馆为顾客制造了一种古朴的环境和气氛，让顾客更能感受扬州特别的历史和文化，并在这种气氛下享用扬州的特色菜肴—淮扬菜，这样顾客能够更好地理解并更容易喜欢上扬州的文化特色。我觉得新加坡也可以把这种发扬文化的机会融入商业中，像是开一些主题酒店和餐馆，可以以艺术、手工等等为主题来吸引顾客。

然后我们船游了北京杭州大运河，我们在扬州和上海所看到的夜景很不一样，在上海我们看到的都是高楼大厦以及五彩的霓虹灯，而扬州的夜景却是岸边的一棵棵柳树以及许多座桥，看得出扬州更加古老以及传统，是海派文化。在上海时，我们也没怎么看到当地人在外活动，而在扬州，虽然那时是晚上，但我们看到很多老人在跳广场舞，还有很多小孩子在玩耍，看得出扬州人更喜欢在户外运动，而且生活节奏没有那么紧张。上海和扬州比起来，对于商业发展以及旅游业更加重视，而且投入了很多的资金，但扬州人的生活却更惬意、更悠闲，我想各有各的好吧。

我们也去了朱自清先生的故居，虽然他是一名十分杰出的作家，但他的故居布置得很简朴，地方也不是很大，看得出朱自清先生低调和节俭的性格。在进入故居前，最先看到的是悬挂在门上“朱自清故居”的牌匾，听导游说这是江泽民主席题写的，足以看出朱自清先生多么受人敬仰。在他的故居内，我们也看到了毛泽东主席和江泽民主席对于朱自清先生一生的评价，我们还看到了朱自清先生创作的一些作品以及他一生的写照。我认为他很令人敬佩的是他爱国以及爱家乡的精神，我在读他展览的一些作品时，看到他多次强调自己是扬州人，而他的作品里也有很多描写扬州美景的句子。

接下来，我们参观了个园和大明寺。导游告诉我们，“个园”这个名字来源于主人对竹子的喜爱，因为竹子拆开来是两个“个”子，而竹子的三片竹叶也形成一个“个”子，所以把这片园林称为“个园”。进入个园，确实有着一大片的竹林，而且还有许多不同品种的竹子，各自有着不同的意义，如孝竹代表的是孝顺。个园内还有很多叠石和假山，其中有一座假山是是由从安徽黄山所搬来的石头所叠成的，我们看得出这名盐商的富裕程度以及建园时的别出心裁。个园的另一个特色就是以它“春夏秋冬”这四种景色为主题的设计，让人能够一次性游览不同季节的景色。我们也参观了很多有不同用处的厅堂，厅堂内挂着许多书法作品以及水墨画，甚至有郑板桥先生的杰作，看得出主人的品味和雅兴，以及受到儒学影响的室内摆设。在大明寺里，我们参观了大雄宝殿、欧阳祠等寺院，还看到了过去雍正皇帝和乾隆皇帝的字迹。

我们还去了上海大众汽车工厂参观那里的运作状况，在车上，那里的工作人员很细心地为我们解说工厂的运作状况，我们看到工厂内挂了很多条幅来鼓励员工，如“态度决定一切，细节决定成败”等，员工们也很以认真、专业的态度工作。他们使用了很多高科技来维修和生产汽车的个别部分，整个过程很有秩序，并且会有员工重复检查，确保过程中没有什么差错，这些都反映了这家公司能够成功的原因。

最后，我们乘坐高铁从扬州回到上海，高铁上十分舒适，隔一段时间就会有人来清理垃圾，而且整个旅程很平稳，丝毫没有颠簸。我发现乘坐高铁的乘客很文明，多数人都在看杂志、休息或者看手机，没有人喧哗或者大声说话。但我发现再乘搭高铁前，有些一乘客踩过了黄线，这种现象我在新加坡搭地铁时也会偶尔看到，我认为这么做很危险。我觉得高铁和新加坡的地铁相似的使他们都是利用磁悬浮，而且效率都很高，并且很方便。而不一样的是高铁的速度更快，据导游说，高铁的速度能够达到每小时430公里，而高铁和地铁相比起来也能够行驶更长的距离，并更快抵达目的地。

总的来说，这次的经历令我扩大了眼界，有了更广阔的世界观，并使我增广见闻、增添了不少处人处事的经验，不愧为一次获益匪浅的学习之旅。



from Zhang Yue (21) 2G

Overall Reflection for the Trip ~Jeanette~

The trip has increased my knowledge of China. After going to Shanghai and Yangzhou, I have seen how different the lifestyles of Singaporeans and Chinese are. I have also gain more insight and understanding of the different values and beliefs of the Chinese in China. After this trip, I am now more appreciative of my life in Singapore, and am proud to be a Singaporean. 

After going to China, my knowledge of China has increased greatly. I now understand China more, having experienced and witnessed for myself how China is like real life, instead of just reading from books or researching from the internet. For example, I have always imagined Shanghai to be a crowded, populated area and very polluted, considering how modernised Shanghai is. However, when I actually saw Shanghai for myself, I realised that it was actually a beautiful place, with many wonderful sights. From knowing only about Shanghai xiao long bao, I now know, and even first hand seen what makes Shanghai such a well-received tourist attraction. Shanghai's famous tourist attractions are the huang pu jiang and the bund. Huang pu jiang being a favourite tourist attraction is not a surprise. Riding on a boat along a river, with buildings and the beautiful skyline along the river banks puts anyone in a pleasant mood, and allows one to sit back and relax, and perhaps just reflect on what happened that day. The bund is another scenic spot. Like huang pu jiang, it is very modernised, surrounded by buildings and artefacts, each with a story behind its construction. For example, the vintage like European styled houses dates back to the French concession and the three memorial pillars which each signify three major wars in china, the Sino-Japanese wars, Opium Wars and the Chinese Civil wars. Both places are significant in the history of Shanghai, as a memory for the Shanghai people, of the times and experiences they went through during the periods of hardship for many Chinese. I feel that this is a commendable effort of the government in keeping a part of Shanghai's history. However, to keep up with the modern times, for the European houses, the interior has been renovated to cater to the needs of a modern society like Shanghai. Although the exterior is very well-maintained the interior does not reflect the history of Shanghai at all, the interior is mostly banks or offices, without a trace of the olden European interior styles. Although now the government can never bring back the interior design, but to boost china historical culture, the government can consider not renovating the interior of other historical artefacts so as to also preserve a piece of China's history. 

In Yangzhou, I have also experience lifestyle in china. In Yangzhou and in Shanghai are quite different, though both are from the same country. In Shanghai everything is modern, and the roads were cramming with cars and heavy vehicles. However, in Yangzhou, many rode on bikes and scooters, and traffic was less heavy. The skyline were also different. At night, in Shanghai, the sky was filled with laser lights from buildings advertising their products. In Yangzhou, the sky was dark, and dull in comparison to Shanghai. However, it feels calmer in Yangzhou. Life seems laid back and more relaxing compared to Shanghai, as it has not been affected by the urbanisation and modernisation as much as many other places. 

Compared to Shanghai, Yangzhou's efforts to preserve its historical culture is better. For example, many of the tourist attractions of Yangzhou are keep in nearly the same condition they were since the times of the dynasties, when the artefacts were constructed, like Lushi Mansion and Zhu Ziqing's residence. Although some parts have been renovated, like reconstructing the Lushi Mansion into a restaurant, the mansion is still largely intact. In Lushi Mansion, most furniture in the rooms have been replaced with restaurant kitchenware, however, the rest of the mansion is still like during the olden times. Similar to Lushi Mansion, Zhu Ziqing's residence is also very well-kept. In fact, besides the extension of an extra room to introduce Zhu Ziqing the place has hardly any changes to when it was build so long ago. Besides learning the efforts the government has to keep the valuable parts of history well-maintained, I have also learnt more about other factors of china, like its economy, and history and culture. 

At the Beijing-hangzhou grand canal, I saw that by the banks, unlike huang up jiang, it was mostly trees and occasionally there will be buildings, mostly those kind of buildings constructed like in the past. Also, at one time, only one boat is riding along the river whereas in Shanghai there were about four to five boats. The canal is also a very important part of China's history. It was a main transportation route for transporting goods like salt. Through the boat ride along the Beijing-hangzhou grand canal, I understood and learn how important the rivers were for transportation in the past. It was important in selling and transporting goods, which is a significant economical factor. However, it is tragic as the canal had gone through a period of downfall, due to natural disasters like flooding. If there were not so many natural disasters, I believe Yangzhou would have also prospered like Shanghai, and we might not be able to experience a piece of historical china. 

Another attraction of Yangzhou is the Shouxi lake. Shouxi lake is a smaller, imitation of the West lake, and much liked by emperors like Kangxi and Qianlong, for its beautiful scenery. The layout of rocks and plants gives people a calming feeling, allowing one to relax. Just like Shouxi Lake, Ge garden has a similar effect, although with a different background story. Ge Garden belonged to the richest merchant back then during those times. He had specially build this garden, and planted many species of his favourite plant bamboo. Bamboo symbolises that his household residents will have a strong moral backbone, and is strong and resilient. Another unique part about Ge Garden is that the words on its tablets have missing strokes. It is to symbolise and for the merchant to remind his children that nothing is perfect, therefore they need to keep striving for excellence. Both places have in common the beautiful sights they provide, and the rich history behind the places. It is indeed an eye opener. 

Visits to the Chinese cutting paper museum, Dong Guan Jie, Dong Quan Men and block printing museum also gave me an insight to China's history. The Chinese cutting paper museum taught me the traditional art of paper cutting. It also amazes me how talented our ancestors are, being able to cut out exquisite designs. Dong Guan Jie is rather modern to me. Although the exteriors are well-kept, inside the shops are all modern, selling goods like key chains and soft toys. At Dong Quan Men, I truly experience how it was like to be in the older times. Everything there seemed like a community which has not caught up with the modern times of today. Although the residents living there have modern amenities like air-conditioners, the design and architecture of the area still seemed like a scene from the past. The block printing museum is a very modern museum, yet filled with history of china. It introduces us to a significant accomplishment of the Chinese, printing. It is not like our high tech printer, where with a button your document will be printed in seconds. In the past, the words first had to be carved out on a block. One mistake and all your hard work will be meaningless. After that, it will be checked through once before spreading ink and printing. It is a long, tedious process, patience being the key to producing any worthy work. Seeing how the lives of our ancestors were in the past makes me appreciative of the luxuries I have right now with everything at my convenience and disposal. 

As for education, I also find myself very lucky. In the school I visited in Yangzhou, the students used a backboard with a smart board while in singapore I use a whiteboard and even have my own iPad.  Also, I am able to bring my phone to school, but the students in Yangzhou do not have the same privilege as me. Their education system is also more stressful than ours. Academics are their sole purpose of learning sometimes, and a large part of their lives revolves around getting good results. Unlike in singapore, in Yangzhou, their school ends at 6pm and they only have co-curriculum activities on Friday, and majority if the activities are academic based.  When the students reach home, they have to complete all their homework and excluding eating time and bathing time, they hardly have any free time before they are suppose to sleep. Their academic lives are hectic and stressful to me. Now, I feel that Singapore's education system is very good. More priority is placed on holistic development. Also, we learn about more cultures. In Yangzhou, the students only learn about the traditional Chinese culture like Wushu and Chinese painting. In Singapore, we get to learn western cultures like the guitar and painting and Asian cultures like Javanese music. In Yangzhou, they have only one food choice, and eat with only chopsticks. In singapore, we have a variety to choose from, and we can choose our choice of utensils. Even our toilets are cleaner and more convenient. Through these experiences, I realise how lucky I am to be a singapore student. I have learnt to appreciate the luxuries I have which I used to take for granted. I have also learnt important values and attitudes from the students. They are attentive and have an excellent learning attitude. During class, they do not talk at all, and sit properly, unlike me in singapore when I slouch and sometimes zone out of lesson. The students also participate quite actively in class, answering the teacher when the teacher poses a question. I hope to be able to pick up and learn the same good, eager learning attitude they have. 

One of my favourite places in Yangzhou is the Daming temple. One thing I saw at the temple which touched me was the banner hung at the entrance which wished the students good luck for their "Gao kao", similar to the A levels in singpaore. Seeing how the community all wishes the best for the younger generation to score well is very heartening. In the temple, I learn more about the religion Buddhism and of the kind, benevolent acts by the gods. Also, in the temple, there was a ancestral hall to commemorate the retired scholar Ou Yang Xiu for his benevolent rule and his contributions to Yangzhou. Something which struck me was when I was at a shop selling items in the temple, a mother came in to buy a lucky charm for her son. She wanted a blessed lucky pouch with the words "金榜题名”, which means to score high marks in examinations and do well, for her son's Gao kao examinations. It gave me an insight as to how important academics are to the students. It also touched me, as I saw an act of parental love. A mother coming all the way to a temple to buy a pouch to bless her son in his examinations might be a simple act, but who else will do so for students? Only parents will place buying a lucky charm for their son as their priority, maybe family members will do so too, but parents will do anything for their children to excel in life. It might seem like a simple action, like parents getting something to bless their children is normal, but the amount of parental love I feel from this simple action warms my heart.

Lastly, another factor of china is its transportation system. In China, I took the bullet train. I feel that the service in china is excellent. The seats are comfortable and you can even turn the seats around, unlike in singapore where on the train it is cramp and suffocating during peak hours. Maybe it is because the train is a second-class train, and passengers need to have a ticket, therefore more high class. Something startling in China which I saw was that on the train, besides us, the other Chinese passengers were reading, unlike us who were using our electronics devices. This is an indication to show that us people in singapore are perhaps too sucked into the world of technology and thus forget about the simple pleasures of activities like reading.  

From this trip, I see how china's culture has affected singapore too, like us students learning the Chinese culture like art. Also I learn that the Chinese in Yangzhou, due to their more laid back lifestyle, enjoy a simpler life in general. But the focus on academics might be more detrimental than helpful to the students. Singapore can learn from china too, by preserving the old buildings we have which contain our precious memories. I know that space is much needed in singapore, but preserving our memories are also important too. After this trip, I feel very proud to be a Singaporean. I am lucky to be able to experience so many luxuries like my school. I am not bounded by the need to score good results which is the only factor for my future. I am able to learn and experience so many different cultures and have a unique culture of my own, a fusion of many cultures. For example my language, Singlish. It might seem unruly to some, exotic to some, but familiar to me. A mixture of English, Chinese, Hokkien, Malay is what special to me. Speaking plain English or Chinese might be more formal and acceptable, but our own fusion of language is what makes singapore special, and not just foreigners whose ancestors moved here a long time ago. We are unique, and I am proud of that.