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.
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