依鸣你好！今天我写电邮给你是为了谢谢你们，那时候那么热心地接待我们，让我们学到了这么多。到了你的学校，我们三个本来都很紧张的，并不知道你们怎么样。上课时，我们也听得一头雾水，根本听不懂老师在说什么。可你们一句一句的不老师教的那些世界是给我们听。我们那时候真的太羡慕你们了。这么难得可你们也听得懂，尤其是地理，你们能把整个课文背下来，记忆力太好了。我们也要感谢你们，不厌其烦地在学校里带着我们走，告诉我们这里是哪里，那里是那么。第二天，你把我们带到你家里，也卖给了我们很多零食吃。我记得那时候我们都没有交往，只见很不熟悉。但是接下来，我们开始讲一些话了。虽然我们的话语非常烂，你们很多时候也听不懂，但你们都会进你们的能力想理解我们在说什么。我认为没有了你们和你一家人的热心接待，我们也会对天津的历史和地方还是不理解。
你好！不客气这是我们应该做的。我也很高兴你们喜欢到我家，我也从你们身上学到了很多！如果又来到天津，你们也可以通知我们，我们也能再带你到天津玩！
Before the OELP trip, Ying Hong and I were not close is merely an understatement. We were not only not close, we didn't like each other at all. Since the first day we met in school. Afterall, we are registers number 15 and 16. It didn't matter if we didn't like each other we were often stuck together when it comes to the pairing of register numbers. Often, these outcomes are often bad and we couldn't communicate with each other at all. It will be that one of us ask the other person a question while the other person will either ignore the question or just simply answer with a ' I don't know'. Soon, we knew that we couldn't work together and most of the times, we just kept to ourselves, not even bothering to start a conversation. Our relationship was that bad. We even came to the extent that during science lab work, we switch partners.
Gradually over this year, our relationship was starting to improve but not much. I have always though of Ying Hong as someone who was insanely annoying and loud. Not only that, she was immensely self centred. My perspective of her changed into a more positive ones even though the bad qualities that represented her was still there.
The first night in OELP, we were left with no choice but to talk to each other as we were petrified of the hotel room. She said that I was the scaredy cat but she was acting as one herself and I really don't know what to say about her.
Firstly, she scared me the most by doing all those superstitious things that totally crept me out. Even she herself was so scared that she didn't want to explain to me why she was doing all those measures. She just said that it was to keep us safe and I was thinking, WHAT??? At this time, it just showed me how weird she was. Next we argued about who was going to bathe first. Being the bigger person, I agreed that she could bathe first. Again, she started doing superstitious things like shining a torch light before entering. I was like okay can. She was also so scared such that she didn't even want to close the door of the bathroom. I didn't judge her for that as I did that too so I understood. She came out in a set of extra weird pajamas and with her spectacles that I have not seen her wear for very long. I was lauging my head off when I saw her wear that and she gave me that 'whatever' face.
I also learnt that Ying Hong takes ages to prepare in the morning. Where wake up at 6 in the morning, he wakes up at 5. This is what I call kiasu. She can take forever to bathe and prepare, Every single day, I tie her how long she bathes.
Poh is very violent too. To wake me up every day, she hits me till I am awake. How motherly is that? But thanks anyway, without you, I wouldn't be able to wake up at all.
She is also a fan of alarms. For example, she sat every alarm with a 1 minute interval, so from 5 to 6 in the morning and for every one minute interval, the phone will start ringing no stop which just disturbs my sleep.
Also, she is also very fat and eats a lot. For example, I will bathe for 10 minutes and by then she can finish eating the whole tin of potato chips and all I could do was to stare in awe and disgust. Initially, what she told me was " Jia Jing ah, I eat the crumbs ah!' The next things I knew, she finished the whole tin. It happened not once, but almost every night. She just keeps saying, I just cant help it and I stare unbelievingly at her.
Sharing a room with Ying Hong has its pros and cons. What I mentioned of weird habits is referring to her. In my opinion, there is no one weirder than her. Well, through this OELP trip, we have became a lot closer, but you will always be that annoying, noisy and selfish Ying Hong that I came to know more of. I am sure we will miss each other dearly next year. What is to a 15 and 16 if one number is missing?
OELP reflection
During my OELP trip in Tianjin and Beijing, I have gained a lot. I had new experiences, done things I have never done before and also got to learn new things. I have experienced a completely different culture as from what we have in Singapore. Not only that, i managed to learn more about my friends during the trip. Their dislikes and likes, their weird habits that we all came to accept.
What I enjoyed most from the trip was actually the exchange program,e between the two schools. From there, we sat through the lessons that they had on a normal day. How it was different was that all of their lessons were being taught in Chinese, even the English language lesson. I expected the English lesson to be conducted in English because our Chinese lesson is being conducted in Chinese, it was fun sitting at the back of the class where you can see all the China students were very enthusiastic. I also learnt that the standard and ability of the Chinese that the China students had. They had very high Chinese standard. What was weird was that our buddies were trying very hard to understand our Chinese even though it is of the very same language. They also commented that our Chinese "accent" was very nice and had tried to imitate it. The rest of the students were also very curious about the way of us doing things in Singapore.
We also visited places of interest which allows me to know more about the Chinese culture and history. We visited places of interest such as the Imperial Palace and The Great Wall of China. It was something different as this was my first time going to Beijing.
From this trip, we bonded with our friends and our class. We each have our differences, our weird habits that we all came to accept. This was the first time our class have been together for so many days. You can say that we are a little sick of each other after the trip. The late nights pigging on food was an experience that I can never forget.
I feel that what can be improved on this trip is that we should have our OELP in year one, in which we are able to know each other better. Having this trip in year 2 when we are going to be leaving each other the next year is really sad.
On the seventh day, it was the last day of our OELP trip. 我们都依依不舍. This was our first immersion trip as our class as well as the last. It was the day where we were leaving China, the place where we have been for the past 6 days. We were sad to leave China, it's culture, it's hotel, it's late nights that we had together.
Dinner was relatively quiet, so was the bus ride from Tianjin to Beijing. I guess everyone was rather upset. So when we finally boarded the train, I was really starting to miss China.
Day 6:
We woke up earlier yesterday to set off earlier so that we do not get stuck in a traffic jam as we did the day before. Soon our buddies arrived and we were feeling nervous excited as were not sure where would our buddies bring us to. We went to my buddies house. We first greeted her parents and we headed to her house. I feel that it is quite a distance from the school to their house. We walked there.
Her house was an apartment and they lived on the fourth floor with her grandmother. We had to call her parents 啊姨和叔叔 instead of auntie and uncle like what we do in Singapore. Her apartment was quite small surprisingly, even smaller than my own house in Singapore. I initially expected the place to be quite big. After all, this is China where they have an abundance of space and land, who will expect their house to be so small.
We chatted at their house for a while. It was very awkward as we didn't know what to say to each other. Furthermore, we have a language barrier and hence it was very difficult to communicate with each other. We did try, just that what they said, we didn't know how to reply. What we said they didn't understand. The whole time, I was wondering whether our Chinese was that bad. So we just stayed in my buddy's house eating junk food and fruits.
Next we had lunch at a very posh restaurant where we went to eat the famous 狗不理包子. It was really nice. They had ordered a portion for 10 people so we couldn't finish all the food. We ate until we were all very full.
Next, we went to a museum as my buddy had swimming lessons. The museum was about this man which I forgot his name. He was great and build up Tianjin to how it is now. I feel that he was just like Mr Lee Kwan Yew. The museum was quite small and boring. However we learnt a lot of things. Next we walked through the biggest park in Tianjin. It had an amusement park. We wanted to ride on the roller coasters but sadly we were not allowed to as my buddy's mother did not allow. She said that the school had already warn the parents that they are not allowed to let us ride on any of these rides as if anything happens, they had to answer to our school. Our spirits were quite down and we were all feeling so disappointed.
Next, we went to see my buddy during her swimming lessons. Turns out, she was a synchronized swimmer. It was really cool watching her swim like that. I really admire her. She was chosen among the people in the whole school to be part of the school's synchronized swimming team. Their coach was very fierce and kept shouting at them, asking them to restart over and over again until they had perfected their moves and moved in a synchronized movement. She told us that when the coach saw us come then she started shouting so loudly.
Turns out that in their school, only people who are from dance and swimming can keep their hair long while the rest had to cut theirs short. I don't understand their logic but a, really grateful that River Valley High School allow girls to keep their hair long although the time was a time where our school was like that too.
We waited for my buddy to come out after changing. We were surprised that they told us that my buddy's friend and her buddy is coming along. I was initially okay with it until they separated us from the two other buddies. I feel that it is very unfair of them to do that. Isn't it that the buddies are supposed to bring us around, not the parent at all.
We came to a canal where they told us that it was where they usual fish and barbecue together. I was thinking, what had it got to do with us? We then took a picture however they completely ignored the other two buddies. Hence we ignore my buddy's parents and invited the other two buddies to come into the picture too. We were all angry and disappointed in the buddy's parents actions. We were taking picture with my buddy and her friend who was not even in the school that we visited and they excluded the other two buddies which is just so unfair.
Next, we came to a bridge made of glass and when you look down, you can see the traffic which is quite cool. They later told us that they had a 山，which was made of rubbish. With that, we ended the day as there was not enough time and we had to go back. On the way back. They bought us ice cream from macdonalds which was really nice. The ice cream sundae was really big as compared to the ones in Singapore. I enjoyed it.
We were a few minutes late but turns out that we were still the earliest there which was so surprising. In conclusion, it was fun, but there was some parts that were unfair.
On the fifth day, it was where we had the exchange program with a Tianjin school. It is called 天津南开翔宇学校. We had to wake exceptionally early again as we did not want to be late. However, it turned out that we were still late as were stuck in a traffic jam. Traffic was really bad there.
When I reached the school, I was quite nervous to see my buddy. I was afraid that it was going to be awkward. The school was a private school hence it was very big and grand. However, the toilets were a big problem. There was no lights, not doors,no toilet paper at all . If I were a student studying in The school, I wouldn't ever want to go to the toilet there as it was disgusting. it seemed that the students were not taking good care of the toilet.
The teacher who welcomed us were strict but welcoming. We were first brought to the library where we were told to wait for our buddies. I was in the group with Ying Hong and Ziyu. Our buddies were the last one to arrive. I was really excited to see how our buddies look like.
My first impression on the China students were that they were incredibly tall, mature. Half the class have buddies who are 12, the other half have buddies who are 13. They are about one to two years younger than us, yet they are all taller than us. It was incredible how tall all of them were. My own buddy is 12 years old and my buddy is already about half a head taller than me. We then headed for lessons.
Our first lesson was geography. They had a test and I didn't understand a word that the teacher was saying. The teacher was speaking in Chinese quickly that I didn't understand a word that she was saying. We look so confused such that she even asked us：“你们是听得懂华文吗？” so we just nodded our head and tried to follow the lesson. It was very confusing.
The next period was English. I had actually thought that it was a subject that I will be understand. My buddy even said：“这堂课你可能听得懂。” I felt relieved, I could understand what they were talking about but didn't know how to answer them. To my dismay, the English lesson was being taught in Chinese too. I was actually surprised. Unfortunately for me, I also didn't understand what the teacher was talking about due to her strong accent. They were discussing about an hour exam paper that they had done yesterday. They had test every single day.
Our next lesson was called Western Studies where a Caucasian was the teacher. The lesson focus was conversing in English, it didn't matter what topic. I feel that it was very useful for the China students as they got a lesson where they got to converse in English. Normally, they did not speak English at all as even during English lessons, the teacher did not speak English. I quite enjoyed the lesson.
We learnt that after every single lesson, they had a 15 minutes break. I feel that it is a very good idea as it gives the students time to break, rest and get ready for the next lesson. Even though our school does have a five minutes break, I don't think there is a use as teachers normally use up the extra five minutes that we have.
After that, we had lunch at the teacher's cafeteria. I expected the food to be really nice after all we are the school's guests and we also expected the place to be really nice after all it is the teacher's cafeteria, I mean, now ad could it be? Turned out I was wrong. The place was hot stuffy and humid. I weird smell lingered in the air, causing me to lose my appetite. I later found out from my buddies that the students cafeteria was much worst. After that, i really appreciate our school canteen.
We then headed for tai ji, calligraphy and lastly Guzhen appreciation lessons. The tai ji was fine but quite boring. It was very cool though. From there, I learnt more about the importance of tai ji to the China people. We used fans to practice tai ji and they were very generous to give it to us. We also learnt that tai ji is to relax and clear our mind. It is a form of relaxation and also a god exercise.
Next was calligraphy, the teacher did not really care about us but it was very fun. The paper that they give us was cool too. You just need to use water and you can write out the words even though it will disappear after a while. So, we spent an hour just writing words and talking.
Day 4:
On the fourth day, we woke up even earlier than that on the third day as we had to set off to go to Tianjin. Well apparently that day was Vania's birthday where the tour agency bought a cake for her and we celebrated her birthday with her together. It was a memorable experience.
The journey from Beijing to Tianjin was great. It was very fun as I had my friends all around me where we all played charades together. It was a great way to pass time. The journey is quite comfortable and of this OELP trip, what I really love most was the journey on the bus where we didn't need to walk so much.
When we reached the Ancient Culture Street, I was legs were so numb that we could not even walk. We went together on our CID groups. They sold mostly souvenirs and mostly hand made items. It was said that the people there were really good in handicrafts and for products that mentioned "made in China", it is usually manufactured in Tianjin. We had a fun time going from streets to streets. The most obvious difference between Beijing and Tianjin is the weather. The weather in Tianjin is significantly cooler in Tianjin. The price of things were also much cheaper. For example, one enormous ice cream only cost 4RMB. It is very nice. So in Tianjin, it really saved me a lot of money. I feel that on the Ancient Culture Street, I could really immerse myself in the culture of Tianjin. In some way, their lifestyle just see, to fit in with the environment of that place.
Our next activity is the hands on painting. It was actually a museum and we were given. A tour on the museum where I learnt a lot on China history and culture. We later did the traditional method of printing the painting out. That was exactly what the people of the olden time did when they wanted to make a replica of the drawing that they had made. I feel that it was very creative and intelligent of them to be able to think of that. I feel that it was really useful in that way.
Lastly, we went to the local supermarket where we were supposed to find out what was the cost of living like in Tianjin and then compare it with Singapore. I feel that it was a wonderful hands on experience as we get to really understand how lives is like in Tianjin. The people of Tianjin also further elaborated how was their way of doing things. The people there were quite nice and was kind.
With that, after dinner we went to check into our hotel. I feel that the hotel in Tianjin was less scary than that in Beijing and it was nicer, more spacious in there. Ying Hong was so reassured such that she then do all those superstitious things that she had done in Beijing. So far,I have liked Tianjin better.
Day 3:
On the third day, we woke up so early again such that when I think of it now, I just seem absurd. We woke up in the morning to the very same breakfast. I was sick of it but I guess I have got to use to it. The food was exactly the same. I wish they would have a change for once even though it is already a buffet. On the third day,we had to get up earlier than usual as The Great Wall of China is quite a distance from our hotel that we were staying in.
When we were driving to the Great Wall of China, we drove past the long trail of it. It was a wonderful scene. It stretched for long distance from Beijing all the way to Tianjin so it was very cool while traveling and while enjoying the scene.
When we first arrive at the scene, it was about 8-9 o'clock in the morning and we took a class photo. They pasted the picture in a book where I bought it. Im my opinion, I t was quite costly but as it was a souvenir I decide to buy it.
The Great Wall of China is made up of many different towers. We had to climb stairs up the Wall and the steps were very steep. I have only climbed until the first tower and I was already perspiring badly. The climb up was arduous and difficult. From there, I learned a lesson that no matter what we do, we have to persevere and must persistent. It is what that help us to accomplish things.
During our climb, what was surprising was that we saw Suhaimi Yusof, who was an actor in Singapore. He acts in the noose. It seems that we can find Singaporeans all over the globe. We were given one and a half hour to climb up the Great Wall and meet back at the bottom. After we had reached the bottom, we are made to write postcards and then mail it later on. When I came back to Singapore and received the post card, it brought back many memories.
The significance of The Great Wall of China is that Qing Shi Huang had initiated the building of The Great Wall. During the building process, many people died due to tiredness and etc. The death of these people are considered sacrifice for the country and so this represents the country as a whole. One place in Singapore that is comparable to The Great Wall of China is the The Botanic Gardens. Both places are UNESCO world heritage centre and so both are full of heritage and culture. During debrief, we were made to do a 诗作 as a CID group. It goes like that:
不到长城非好汉，
我的华文非常烂，
因为我的华文烂，
回家被我妈妈砍。
Our next destination is the Ming Tombs. The Ming Tombs had a calm and nice environment which was very peaceful. There was a small exhibition which I learnt a lot from, even though it was sap all, the ideas were all compact and could be understood easily. I enjoyed the place a lot even though I didn't really see any tombs there. However, the place was really nice and it was enjoyable. Grey is the color I will choose for the Ming tombs. The place there was rather dull and lack of color. Almost everything there was made out of stone and everything was also very old at with cracks and all that. However, I feel that it just adds on to the environment.
Next, we visited the Summer Palace. I enjoyed visiting there the most. Even though the route was not short and requires quite a lot of walking,I still enjoyed the journey. There were many trees there making the place very cooling and shady. There were quite many people there but the weather wasn't really affected.
Mr Loi bought for us each a 冰棒 as the weather was very hot in summer. I had always been very curious on what 冰棒 was. I have seen many people selling those 冰棒 during my visit to Beijing. It is also one of the specialities of Beijing seeing that Tianjin doesn't sell any of those. I have always thought that it was just ice. It cost 1RMB for one stick. I feel that it is very generous of Mr Loi to buy those for us. We were grateful and really appreciative.
We later learnt from the tour guide that the summer palace was built by Empress Dowager Cixi. It was later renovated a few times due to its destruction during the Sino-Japanese War. The scenery there was breathtaking and emperors go there to pass summer. I really admire them, I wish I can do that too.
Lastly, we went to visit the Bird Nest and Water Cube. The place was nice and spacious and we went there take a lot and take pictures. The Bird Nest is shaped just like a bird nest and it was the Olympic games were held in year 2006.
Other than the place being very nice with all the space and water there wasn't really much to do. People there used the space to fly kites and carry out outdoor activities. We were also warned not to take any pictures with any dressed up characters as they will ask us to pay them money if we do.
With that, we ended the day with a debrief.
On the second day, we woke up early in the morning to have breakfast so that we can have a full stomach when we leave for the day. To be honest, the food was not appetizing and appropriate for breakfast in my opinion. For example, they served fried bee hoon, fried egg and fried everything for breakfast. Who would eat a breakfast consisting of everything fried? The juices were okay and thankfully they served cereal and fresh milk with some toast so it was fine in the end.
Our first destination was the National Museum. The place is indeed big and very spacious. The infrastructure itself was impressive. Although there was a huge building, a huge entrance and a huge exterior, the exhibition itself was quite disappointing.
I expected everything to be grand in the exhibition. However, we had finished the exhibition in a matter of a few minutes, which was not even amounting to an hour. The exhibition area was crammed and dark. The lighting was dim and I could not read the exhibited words clearly and had to strain my eyes to make out the wording. They were probably trying to make the place look and seem more historical and mysterious but they were trying too hard. I feel that they should make the area bigger and more spacious. I feel very trapped and confined over there, it is as though I am close to suffocating.
The staircase from one level to another was an emergency exit stairs on which it seem where murder cases take place. Only when the last exhibition leading to the entrance then was the stairs grand and all royal like. So it seems to me that they were doing all on exterior and interior l in my opinion, I feel that this should be corrected and improved. 这样偷工减料 will not work at all, instead cause disappointment to the people visiting the National Museum.
The exhibition information were also very shallow, it doesn't really tell us about how everything come about and how it ended but instead focus on Mao Zedong on how wonderful he was and all his contributions. You can tell that the people look up and respected him. However, that was only mostly what the museum was telling us. The air conditioning was really good and it was much more comfortable than the afternoon sun so I liked staying there.
Our next destination was lunch, which was the Peking Duck. Our lunch was a special one as it was Beijing's most famous dish. The duck was very very good. The best that I have eaten through my whole trip on China. I ate a lot but the food portion was big so it was okay. There was a way of eating in which the waitress taught us. She did it skillfully in I admired a lot. So basically you're supposed to but all the ingredients in the wrap and fold it nice. However, because of my inability to do that I just dumped everything in and just eat it. I feel that making the dish look good is just a waste of time. Even though we are supposed to learn something, I feel that there is nothing to learn other than how to eat a Peking Duck.Next, we went to the Tiananmen Square. To say that it was hot was an understatement. It was burning, my skim literally turned red. Imagine, the 2-3 o'clock sun during summer, we were all suffering badly and we could not even open our eyes properly as it was too bright. We endure for two and half hours straight trudging away on the cemented ground. It was like walking in a desert with Chinese infrastructure everywhere. So basically it was very hot with no shelter.
Then we went to the Southern Gong and Drum lane. It was my favorite place of all. I loved it. The culture was there. The stores were quint and interesting. We even found the China version of the Singapore llao llao called el mio. It tasted exactly the same. I loved that place. I bought many souvenirs from there at quite a low price. Everything there were just so creative and old. I liked it just the way it was and we stayed there too long and were late because I liked the place so much.
By the time we reached the hotel, it was really late in the night and so we didn't have a debrief. For that, I was happy and relieved. It was a tiring day so we slept.
On the first day, we had to wake up early in the morning to reach the airport at 6. Our flight was a morning flight and when we reach there, everyone were feeling drowsy and lazy. Our flight was 3 hours which was a rather long flight. We entertained ourselves during the flight.
When we finally reached Beijing airport, the difference was significant. The Beijing airport had no air condition while the Singapore Changi Airport mad air conditioning. The toilets in the Changi Airport was much cleaner too. Facilities were rather old and run down even though it was an international airport situated in Beijing, the capital of China. The immigration officials were all efficient.
When I first stepped out of the airport, the heat was the most noticeable. The heat was unbearable and we were all sweating profusely. Our first destination was the Wang Fu Jing street. We were give one and a half hour to explore the place ourselves. The place used to be the place where the Emperor's relatives live in hence it has great heritage and culture. The place have old infrastructure and the infrastructure looks really nice.
There were many small little booths selling food and beverages. As most of them were selling the same things, the was a very tight competition. They hence have to shout loudly to promote the items that they were selling. The price there was considerably high and was about the same as Singapore. This is probably because that was Beijing, the capital of China and also that was a place of attraction and so things will be sold at a higher price.
The food was good, as well as atmosphere. However, the hawkers were dishonest. They sold us food at a higher price than the others as they knew we were foreigners. I feel what they are doing is not right. No matter what we do we should be fair and 一视同仁.
Beside the street, there was a mega mall with approximately 5 stories. Each level is very wide with a variety of stores. Lots of retail shops found in Singapore could be found there, especially those branded ones for example Forever 21. However, the prices are much cheaper by about half price. The shopping centre was nicely air conditioned. The difference is that people would rather go to Wang Fu Jing street instead of visiting the shopping centre. If it is me, I will definitely stay in the shopping centre.
Although I have visited Wang Fu Jing and the infrastructure was really ancient and historical, I did not feel that the environment of the place itself was ancient. It just did not give me the feeling of a old historic place. Also to add on to my point, I don't see why there is modern shopping centre built next to a historical place. It just wasn't right.
Singapore does have a place like the Wang Fu Jing. It is China Town. In China, it is very important to have such a place as it preserve China's culture and history while in Singapore, not everyone are Chinese and China Town reminds the Chinese of traditional China.
Dinner was not appetizing. I came to a conclusion that I didn't like Beijing food. That night, i ate very little.
We checked into the hotel room at about 9 plus. The place was creepy. The room itself was scary even though it is brightly lighted. My roommate, Ying Hong scared me further by doing all those superstitious things as she was a superstitious person. Before going in the hotel room, we had to knock on the door. Before going to bathe, we had to shine a torchlight inside the toilet. We also could not sleep infront of a mirror.
The corridors were another matter. It was so scary that I almost died. Every night I would think of a ghost coming to scare me. The corridors were dimly lighted and narrow. It had many different directions which often a dead end so you got to memories your way around unless you want to get lost. I admire the staffs working in the hotel, especially at night.
These are the top ten historic sites in China.
1) Badaling Great Wall
Badaling Great wall is the site of the most visited section of the Great Wall of China, approximately 50 miles (80 km) northwest of urban Beijing city in Yanqing County, which is within the Beijing municipality. The portion of the wall running through the site was built during the Ming Dynasty, along with a military outpost reflecting the location's strategic importance. The highest point of Badaling is Beibalou, approximately 0.63 miles (1,015 m) above sea level.The portion of the wall at Badaling has undergone heavy restoration, and in 1957 it was the first section of the wall to open to tourists. Now visited annually by millions, the immediate area has seen significant development, including hotels, restaurants, and a cable car.
2) Summer Palace
Situated in the western outskirts of Haidian District, the Summer Palace is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from central Beijing. Having the largest royal park and being well preserved, it was designated, in 1960 by the State Council, as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China. Containing examples of the ancient arts, it also has graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions. The Summer Palace is the archetypal Chinese garden, and is ranked amongst the most noted and classical gardens of the world. In 1998, it was listed as one of the World Heritage Site.
3) Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five hundred years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 m2 (7,800,000 sq ft). The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.
4) Ming Tombs
50 kilometers northwest from Beijing City lies the Ming Tombs - the general name given to the mausoleums of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). The mausoleums have been perfectly preserved, as has the necropolis of each of the many emperors. Because of its long history, palatial and integrated architecture, the site has a high cultural and history.
These are the top ten historic sites in China.
1) Badaling Great Wall
Badaling Great wall is the site of the most visited section of the Great Wall of China, approximately 50 miles (80 km) northwest of urban Beijing city in Yanqing County, which is within the Beijing municipality. The portion of the wall running through the site was built during the Ming Dynasty, along with a military outpost reflecting the location's strategic importance. The highest point of Badaling is Beibalou, approximately 0.63 miles (1,015 m) above sea level.The portion of the wall at Badaling has undergone heavy restoration, and in 1957 it was the first section of the wall to open to tourists. Now visited annually by millions, the immediate area has seen significant development, including hotels, restaurants, and a cable car.
2) Summer Palace
Situated in the western outskirts of Haidian District, the Summer Palace is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from central Beijing. Having the largest royal park and being well preserved, it was designated, in 1960 by the State Council, as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China. Containing examples of the ancient arts, it also has graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions. The Summer Palace is the archetypal Chinese garden, and is ranked amongst the most noted and classical gardens of the world. In 1998, it was listed as one of the World Heritage Site.
3) Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five hundred years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 m2 (7,800,000 sq ft). The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.
4) Ming Tombs
50 kilometers northwest from Beijing City lies the Ming Tombs - the general name given to the mausoleums of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). The mausoleums have been perfectly preserved, as has the necropolis of each of the many emperors. Because of its long history, palatial and integrated architecture, the site has a high cultural and history.
- 5) Terra Cotta Warriors
Terra Cotta Warriors is the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang the First Emperor of China. The terracotta figures, dating from 210 BC, were discovered in 1974 by some local farmers near Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China near the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. The figures vary in height (183–195 cm - 6 ft–6 ft 5in), according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits. Many archeologists believe that there are many pits still waiting to be discovered.
6) Shaolin Temple
The Order of Shaolin Ch'an, founded in 520 C.E. by the Indian monk Tamo, is a branch of Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism dedicated to the study of nature and humanity's place in our world. Through the physical study of martial arts we learn to extinguish our egos, through the study of nature we seek understanding of the unity of all life, and through meditative practices we strive to maximize the potential of each individual.The OSC was brought to the United States and (briefly) Canada beginning in 1902, as the most senior echelon of Shaolin monks fled the chaos and destruction of the Boxer Rebellion, the end of the Chinese Empire, the Warlord Period, and the purges of communism.
7) Suzhou Garden
When Suzhou is mentioned, the first thought in every Chinese mind is of its gardens. It is said that the gardens to the south of Yangtze River are the best in the world, and Suzhou gardens are the best among them. The history of the classical gardens of Suzhou can be traced back to 6 BC. By the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Suzhou City had become a garden city with more than 200 gardens. Having experienced a long history, only a part of the gardens are preserved perfectly. Because of their ingenious man-made landscape and the ideal of harmony between heaven and human beings, the gardens have gained a high reputation world wide. Canglang Pavilion (Blue Wave Pavilion), Lingering Garden, Humble Administrator's Garden and Lion Grove Garden are the four top gardens in Suzhou, representing the architectural styles of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties respectively. The latter three gardens were added to the World Heritage List in 1997.
8) Xian City Wall
When Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), captured Huizhou, a hermit named Zhu Sheng admonished him that he should 'built high walls, store abundant food supplies and take time to be an Emperor,' so that he could fortify the city and unify the other states. After the establishment of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang followed his advice and began to enlarge the wall built initially during the old Tang dynasty (618 -907), creating the modern Xian City Wall. It's the most complete city wall that has survived in China, as well being one of the largestancient military defensive systems in the world.
9) Long Men Grottoes - Longmen Grottoes or Longmen Caves are located 12 km south of present day Luòyáng in Henan province, China. The grottoes, which overwhelmingly depict Buddhist subjects, are densely dotted along the two mountains: Xiangshan (to the east) and Longmenshan (to the west). The Yi River flows northward between them. For this reason, the area used to be called Yique (The Gate of the Yi River). From north to south, the distance covered by grottoes is about one km. Along with the Mogao Caves and Yungang Grottoes, the Longmen Grottoes are one of the three most famous ancient sculptural sites in China. There are over 2100 niches, more than 100,000 statues, some 40 pagodas and 3600 tablets and steles in the caves of Guyang, Binyang and Lianhua.
10) Chinese Ancient Silk Road
Silk Road or Silk Routes is an extensive interconnected network of trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean world, as well as North and Northeast Africa and Europe. The term "Seidenstraße" (literally "Silk Road") was coined retrospectively by the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1877 and has since found its way into general usage. It was the major reason for the connection of trade routes into an extensive trans-continental network. In recent years, both the maritime and overland Silk Routes are again being used, often closely following the ancient route
The May period in Beijing, the time when we are going there is one of the most important holidays for people in the world's most populous country. One of the most exciting parts of the most exciting parts of the holiday in the recent years has been a prevalence of growing number of musical festivals. The main festival is the Midi festival, which is run by the Midi School of Music. The festival has been on and off in Beijing for the last few year, but it's back at its proper home at Haidain park. There are over 100 acts playing including the mighty Sham 69 from the UK, and local acts such as Carsick Cars, SUBS and Hanggai.
Another music festival is called the Intro Music Festival. It is held every year in late May in Beijing. It is the largest outdoor music festival in the country which showcases the best and thriving electronic music scene of China inits 46 000 square meter open- air plaza. The festival lasts from one to two days and features about 80 artists and 3 stages. It was initiated by Acupuncture records. It revolves around the concept that music is an important piece that connects people. It also believes that electronic music is the sound of today's era, intro stands for "Ideas Need To Reach Out" . It is based around the fact that people need a stand to express their beliefs through digital arts and electronic music. The festival aims to gather people from all over the world to support the culture and development of electronic music in China. Every year, the greatest VJs and DJs from around the world are incited to perform at the music festival.
There is also the festival of bun hills. The celebration takes place in the month of May. The event includes parades, opera performances and children dressed in colorful costumes. The Cheung Chau Festival starts on the 8th day of the Fourth Moon and continues for 4 days. The four days of religious rites-- Chinese operas and the burning of paper clothing as gifts, is supposed to make ghosts and peevish spirits contented. During this time the entire Hong Kong is thronged with the visitor’s form
all over the world. There are processions and celebrations at every nook and corner. he most breath-taking trait is the bun towers - large bamboo structures several stories high heaped with sweet buns. These bun towers are festooned in front of the Pak Tai Temple to solemnize the ‘Pak Ta’, the God of the Sea. There are several temples in Hong Kong honoring the Pak Tai who, according to legend, threw the prince of evil out of heaven. In the past, a signal was given and the young clamber ups the towers, picking as many buns as they could hold. It was believed the more buns you grab, the more good luck it will bring. he processions and parades held during this time are more magnificent and colorful. People costume as renowned figures, ride on flowered floats and walk on stilts. The young play a major role in the processions with children perched above the crowd in makeup and costumes. They almost seem hanging in air.Other performances, such as Chinese operas, lion dances, and religious services are displayed to entertain both locals and visitors alike.
Usually the festival arrives just before the beginning of the fishing season, therefore, the bun festival is also celebrated in honoring of Sea-God, to ensure righteous weather and a brimful catch. In any event, this unusual celebration is well worth a side trip to the island.
Is the Merlion a suitable icon for Singapore?
The Merlion is our Singapore icon. Merlion, this icon comes from an old folk story of Sang Nila Utama. Mer is Merlion refers to fishes while lion comes from Singapore being a lion city. According to the folk tale, the sultan, Sang Nila Utama found Singapore, and in the island, he say a lion, which hence comes the name Merlion.
In my opinion, the creation of the Merlion is not appropriate to Singapore. The main reason of this is because, the folk tale is probably fake and one could not basically just asked on a folk tale and get the Singapore icon out of it. Furthermore, there are also many other folk talks about Singapore, so why would one choose an icon based on this. The folk tale is probably not true as lions cannot be found in jungles, the state where Sang Nila Utama found it was in. Some said that it was a tiger, but Sang Nila Utama mistook it as a lion. Hence, the story is not confirmed as there are many different versions of it. Furthermore, lions are not native to Singapore. Why does Singapore even use an animal which is not found in Singapore except in zoos? hence, I find it inappropriate for the Merlion to be used as our country's icon.
Every country should have a national icon. A national icon represents the country as well as signifies the country's past, present ad future By looking at one country's national icon, you can obviously tell what country that is. Behind every icon, there always lies the rich history of a country. The purpose of us making the Merlion the Singapore icon is probably to conserve and preserve the Singapore culture ad history as a fishing village and remind us Singaporeans not to forge where they come from and how Singapore had started off as a mere fishing village. This also tells the unique story to other tourists and visitors who come and visit Singapore.
Hence I conclude that the Merlion is not a very appropriate icon for Singapore.
Every country should have a national icon. A national icon represents the country as well as signifies the country's past, present ad future By looking at one country's national icon, you can obviously tell what country that is. Behind every icon, there always lies the rich history of a country. The purpose of us making the Merlion the Singapore icon is probably to conserve and preserve the Singapore culture ad history as a fishing village and remind us Singaporeans not to forge where they come from and how Singapore had started off as a mere fishing village. This also tells the unique story to other tourists and visitors who come and visit Singapore.
Hence I conclude that the Merlion is not a very appropriate icon for Singapore.
The "Golden age " of Tang Dynasty
The "Golden age " of Tang Dynasty, is everything. The history, the artifacts, the people. All these are the golden age of what had started and ended of the Tang Dynasty. The golden age what happened at that time. The. Golden Age in the Tang Dynasty is just like the the starting of the Singapore. Singapore did not start of as successful as it is now. At that time, singapore was being governed by another country. The independence of Singapore led by Lee Kwan Yew was the golden age. It was the time where Singapore was transformed from a third world country to a first world country. This is was the golden age of Singapore. I feel that what best represents the golden age of Singapore is Mr Lee Kwan Yew himself. He was the one who built up Singapore into a strong and free nation. Without him, there would not be the Singapore we know today. I'd Singapore had not been passed the Japanese occupation and Singapore had not been in a bad state, I am sure that Mr Lee Kwan Yew will continue to be a lawyer not a politician . I feel that Mr Lee's spirit was born during the golden age period of Singapore, hence ,what represents Singapore best in Mr Lee.
Reflection on my presentation
From the presentation, I have learnt many things. I have learned to be more confident when speaking in front of a group of people. I have never enjoyed speaking in front of a group of students. I am often afraid of the outcome. Afraid of not doing well, afraid of making a fool out of myself. Since young, I have no problems with stage fright consisting other curriculum things. However, when comes to making a speech or just talking to a stranger, I have a lot of problems. I can't seem to ask for an extra spoon or plate from people. I am just afraid of saying the wrong thiNg at the wrong time. Hence, during the presentation, it helps to boost my self confidence. I have learnt tips and even figured out tips on how to make a presentation or speech better. During my speech, I felt nervous, naturally. Through that, I learnt to focus better on what I have to say and not be distracted so easily. I have learnt the importance of listening through the presentation. I realized that it was pretty annoying if you were about to speak and no one is even bothered to listen to what you want to say. So this has allow me to better understand the importance of listening and I would pay attention to people speaking more.
Reflection on group 1's presentation
I was impressed with Group 1's mock presentation. The plot was good, everything was interesting . They started off very well and caught the audience attention immediately. Some of them spoke quite well and fluently while others were rather soft. Those who spoke well have got many good points. They spoke as if everything was not written on a script and everything was very natural and it was as if all the things they had to say was what they would say if they were in that situation in real life. Hence, I feel that it is really something that one can learn from. Some of them spoke very little and I could not decide if they did speak well or not. Those who spoke very little also was quit soft and also lack of confidence. I feel that they should speak up more. Their group should also give our the number of lines each person gets or it will be unfair and it will also seem very weird.
China's economical growth
China is growing a lot economically as it is the second largest economical country in the world. It has grown economically steadily over the years and has overtaken Russia which was once the second largest economical country. I think this is probably because most of China goods are to be sold around the world. Nowadays, when you see something, it is most probably made in China. Just like the renowned Apple iPhone brand, even though it is designed in Carlifonia which is in the largest economical country in the world, the phone is being assembled in China. As such, China is able to earn a lot of money and profits from these kinds of business as well as producing their own products. Other than that, China has got a large population. Having a large population, means that they are able to collect more taxes from the so many people. A large population means that there are more population which means there is more people to do things and things that are to be carried out will be much faster compared to others. People have guessed that in a few years time, China will overtake the United States of America economically. There hence will have a lot of changes in our lives. For example, in case of any emergencies, people will no longer keep the American dollar but the Chinese yuan instead and China's currency will be greater and more important. If a business man wants to carry out business, more business men will go to China instead of the United States of America.
One child policy in China
During my CID lesson this week, I learnt about the dwindling population in China about how there are too little offsprings yet so many adults and elderlies. Apparently, this situation also happens in Singapore, there are lesser number of babies for each and every year. This probably happens because of the amount one needs to pay in order to be able to raise a child. Furthermore, it is a lifetime commitment and requires a lot of responsibility from the parent and the child also needs a lot of attention. I feel that the government should encourage the people to have more children, and take their one child policy away from them so that they are able to i ncrease the number of babies each year. The government should also help to increase the baby bonus each year so as to help first time parents to be able to cope. They can also set up organizations or start workshops to encourage people the perks of having children. If the population growth continues dwindling, the possibilities of older people will increase and there will be lesser children to continue the nationality of Singaporeans which are truly Singaporeans. There will also be more foreign talents in Singapore instead of the original Singaporeans. The trend of Singapore like singlish and local specialty may also all disappear if there is lesser offsprings who know the proper slangs of Singapore. If this continues, I feel that there will be no Singaporeans left at all and what is left will be all people who are from other countries yet converted into Singaporeans. Or even worse, Singapore may even become only like what it once was, a place where people from other countries stop to rest and there will be special country spirit or anything. Singapore can prepare for this by trying to spread the word of not having one child policy in Singapore and we can also encourage more people from our country not to migrate to other countries so that we have more people in our country.
During my CID lesson I learnt about poverty in other countries and hence learnt to appreciate what we have in Singapore. We live in an advanced and stable country which is able to get give us protection unlike the other countries with many people struggling yet they have no means to help them. I feel that we should be thankful and try not to waste things. I feel that as others are less fortunate than us, we should try our best to help them out instead of being selfish and only caring about ourselves only. There was one instant when I could not finish my food and was about to throw it away but my mother forced me to finish it. She asked me to think of the children and people living in those third world countries and how they always had no food to eat and even no clean water to drink. She said that I should not be so wasteful but appreciate what I have in the present. I will always think of her words when I am about to waste some thing that may be a precious to others. We can also donate things that we do not want instead of throwing them away. Alternatively, if we have the money, we can also donate money to them. There is an organization that helps to spread the awareness that there are such poor people around such that they do not even have enough food for 3
meals every single day such that they will be able to donate and try to help volunteer in this kind of organizations as such organizations have got no money and they depend solely on funds.
Poverty
In the last week's CID lesson, I learnt about poverty in the other less fortunate countries through many slides of photographs. One of the pictures that captured my attention most is that a baby lying on the floor with a vulture standing very near it. The vulture is waiting, waiting for the right time to strike, waiting for the baby to die so that it can have it as its next meal. I feel that this picture is quite saddening as often, it is humans who hunt animals but however in this case, it is the opposite. I feel that the photographer is just like the vulture too, waiting for the right time to
take the perfect shot. Even though there was nothing the photographer could do to save the baby as he was told to not touch anyone there because of various illnesses, I still find it very inhumane as he watched someone alive to be about to be eaten. Even though this picture had won many awards in various competitions, the photographer still committed suicide in the end, probably out of guilt that he did not save the baby. The other two pictures are about two homeless people and supposedly jobless are begging on the streets for money. I feel that the government are not doing their job well as they should pay more attention and care towards those who are in need. They should be more compassionate towards the needy and try to help them in any way. I also feel that this 3 pictures are kind of linked. This is because there poor people in these countries need help with resources and money, yet they are just like the baby lying on the floor, helpless while the other richer countries were like the photographer and the vulture, waiting for a chance to strike yet not helping at the same time even though they are seeing people in need. I feel that those who have the means to help the people should do anything they can. They are able to buy extravagant things for themselves that they are probably not going to use in their lifetime yet not able to donate money to the needy. Hence, I feel that we should do our part and our very best to help them.
My December Holidays
I went to Taiwan during my holiday with my family, we visited different places of interest and we learned another foreign country's culture as well as history. I have also went to Australia and learnt how life is like in a farm, something that you can never get to experience in Singapore as Singapore is too small to have enough space for farms. I feel that it is a meaningful trip as I have learnt many more lessons in this two countries rather than one month in school. I have learnt life lessons which helps me to survive in the outside world which is very harsh. I learnt that farmers life are both fun and tiring at the same time. During the holidays, I also went to the museum to see the newly opened exhibit at the Singapore National Museum where I learnt how life was like during world war 2 and before the wall. There was also a fair where they sell objects from the past which are very creative as most of it were hand-made and they took time and effort to do it hence most of the items being sold are rather expensive. For example, a soft toy ranging from different sizes would have cost $10 to a few hundreds. I guess that it is only so expensive as it is made from scratch. In conclusion, I enjoyed my holiday as I find it fulfilling and enriching.
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