OELP Reflections (Yue San)

OELP Reflections:

1) I decided to come along to this trip because it would be an exciting experience, and would let us learn more about China’s culture, which is extremely crucial in this modern age as China is rapidly becoming an expanding country in the global market. This information would be beneficial in the working world to be able to converse with ease with China’s people, as gaining a greater understanding on their society would help greatly. Also, going to Hangzhou will be a real life experience of what it is to live in China, which is completely different from Singapore.

I hope to enjoy myself with my friends at China. Hangzhou is also renowned as a historical area in China, and I would like to understand more about the history of China, as more knowledge is never wasted. Secondly, I hope to pick up some of China’s culture and reapply it if I ever return back to China on a later date. I also hope to learn some of the skills that people in China might be teaching us, like picking tea leaves, drumming, etc. It will be an extremely interesting learning experience as Singapore does not carry out such activities due to many limitations in our country and society. Most importantly, I hope to learn as much as I can from this Hangzhou immersion trip.

2) It was in the Hai Di Lao Hotpot Restaurant when I came across one situation that made me feel strongly about. Chefs were doing a live demonstration of making lamian, when one of them accidentally dropped the dough, rendering it useless. Another staff of Hai Di Lao came towards the chef with a smile, picked up the dough, and gave the chef another one. I was impressed by their attitude, as neither did they blame the chef for making a mistake, they actually gave the chef another chance to rectify it.

One person that taught me more than what could be achieved in class was the mother of the buddy, whose house I went to. She gave her all to making us feel at home anywhere we went, from bringing us to museums cheerfully to catering to our every need, regardless of whether it inconvenienced her. People might say that she was just a good host but she was much more than that to me. She was the epitome of what it meant to face life with a smile, and take it on without complain.

I learnt that China’s people were not the heartless people that I thought they were from all the newspaper reports of food-related scams and more, but actually very friendly people who would aid you in whatever way they could if you had an issue to solve.

3) This trip would affect my future attitude towards China’s people greatly, as I understand their culture and society much more now after this immersion trip. It taught me to not judge a book by its cover, reserve judgment first, and see the full truth for myself. It also taught me that in facing life’s challenges, doing it without complain and with a smile was crucial to solving them, instead of running away from the problem.

I hope that I will learn to empathize with people more, as I saw the Chinese did it with all their heart and soul. I want to understand the Chinese in China more, as I have had a taste of their culture and I want more of it. I learnt many things from this trip, but the most important part of it is to still face everything that comes along your way with a smile.

China's Economic Growth (Yue San)

China's socialist market economy is the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP, and the world's largest economy according to purchasing parity according to the IMF; the accuracy of the IMF's report on China's purchasing power parity has since been questioned. It is the world's fastest growing major economy, with growth rates averaging 10% over the past 30 years but has been overtaken by India recently due to slowdown in its export driven economy. Due to historical and political facts of China's developing economy, China's public sector accounts for more share in the national economy with the burgeoning private sector. 

China is a global hub for manufacturing, and is the largest manufacturing economy in the world as well as the largest exporter of goods in the world. China is also the world's fastest growing consumer market and second largest importer of goods. Services Account Balance from 2007 -2011 of China's economy has always been in slight deficit, and China is a net importer of Services products. 

Golden Age of Singapore (Yue San)

Before Lee Kuan Yew rose to prominence in Singapore, Singapore was a peaceful fishing village, which slowly became famous by the efforts of Sir Stamford Raffles and the unique geographical location of Singapore. However, before LKY became a popular political figure, Singapore had not reached the Golden Age of the country, just like China which reached the Golden Age during the Tang dynasty.

During the 1950s, LKY rose to prominence as he fought for Asians having some rights in the say towards leading Singapore that was then controlled by the British. He succeeded, and Singaporeans then finally had a measure of control towards how the country was going to be run. However, LKY was not satisfied. He was bent on total independence from the British, even though the British officials cast aspersions on their ability to rule. The British refused his request over and over again, but he persisted until the British gave a compromise- They would free Malaysia from British rule too, and Singapore was to merge with Malaysia for the safety of Singapore.

LKY supported the decision fully, but it was not meant to be. In 9th August 1964, Singapore broke its merger with Malaysia as the countries disagreed with the policies, their morals, etc. which eventually brought about riots between Singapore and Malaysia. LKY was determined to bring Singapore from an uncertain future to great prominence, and implemented many policies, like the building of MRTs, HDBs, and many more which would enhance the quality of life in Singapore greatly.

Currently, Singapore is one of the richest countries, with one of the busiest ports, and we owe it all to Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. Without him, Singapore would not be led towards the Golden Age it currently is in. Thank you, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, for everyhing you have done and sacrificed for Singapore.

Chinese Fashion (Yue San)

From walkway to street fashion, China's fashion sense has grown and changed dramatically in the last decade.  From post Mao era to current day China, there has been many influences on Chinese fashion.

Chinese adolescents want to be more individualized, stand out, and have their own fashion sense rather than blend in with the crowd.  This has given rise to two of many types of Chinese street fashion today. They are called the "Xiao Qinxin" style and "Zhong Kouwei" style.  "Xiao Qinxin" stands for "little freshness" and was used to describe a kind of indie pop music genre. Now it is used to describe fashion, movies, photography and objects.  This type of fashion features light colors, canvas shoes, along with cotton and linen material, and images with vintage effects.  "Xiao Qinxin" style represents a fresh and angelic type of fashion in comparison to "Zhong Kouwei." Zhong Kouwei stands for "heavy flavor" and was first used to describe food with heavy flavors such as salt, garlic, pepper, curry etc.  This developed into the fashion now described in books, manga, and movies.  "Zhong Kouwei" also represents anything that stimulates the senses occasionally with violence, sexuality, or blood. This type of fashion features dark bold colors, rivets, metal, black and white and angry poses. It also can be used to describe fashion that ties along with the themes of dramatic, sexy, and evil. 

Is the Merlion the best icon for Singapore? (Yue San)

No, I do not think that the Merlion is the best icon for Singapore. Firstly, the purpose should be that the Merlion is strictly representative of Singapore, which it is not. The Merlion icon is used in other countries too, so it does not just represent Singapore, but also other countries too. Most people think that the Merlion is a unique part of Singapore, but they are wrong. More unique parts of Singapore could possibly be Singlish, which is clearly uniquely Singaporean just by listening to the name. The Merlion, while it is a famous tourist attraction, is not necessarily a good represent ion of Singapore. While some may assume that the Merlion is the best known tourist attraction, and will come to the front of their minds when they think about Singapore, others may think about Singapore food, the Singapore Flyer or the like. We should not take such things for granted, as other people may assume differently.

If people do not think carefully about using the Merlion as a icon of Singapore, they could use it and cause quite a bit of controversy over the true importance of the Merlion to Singapore. Objectively, the Merlion is just representative of Singapore's history, not what Singapore is right now, so it is not a current and accurate representation of Singapore. Therefore, I do not think that the Merlion is the best I on for Singapore.

1 Child Policy (YueSan)

Singapore does not enforce the one child policy, in contrast, encourages a larger family. However, Singapore will be soon facing a "silver tsunami" if the birth rates do not pick up. Firstly, many young couples do not wish to have children when they are younger, but by the time they wish to do so, the natural fertility of the body goes down and they fail to conceive. Secondly, the life expectancy of humans has been prolonged by advancements in medicine, but this means that more elderly last longer, and their children have to support them, causing a burden to them.  Lastly, there are more singles nowadays who simply do not wish to marry or have children at all, exacerbating the problem.

Holidays (YueSan)

I went to Thailand on my holidays, specifically Chiang Mai. The most memorable parts of my holiday was when I went to a hot spring, and went to the famous Elephant Park. At the hot spring, the water had a distinct sulphur smell, and a few women were selling eggs that were boiled beforehand in the hot spring. I went to the source of the hot spring, and gingerly dipped my feet in, but the heat soon became unbearable and I stepped out of the hot spring. At the Elephant Park, I saw a performance from trained elephants, who drew trees on a canvas and danced to music. At the end, we were allowed to feed the elephants sugar cane or bananas that could be bought, or pay a small token to have a picture with the elephants. After that, we went rafting, which was extremely casual and relaxing. The most exciting part of our visit was riding the elephants, and we went two at a time. The sensation was akin to riding on an extremely slow roller coaster, as the elephant slowly plodded down hills and into rivers. The ride was jerky, and even though we had safety rails, it was a rough ride, and certainly not one I was eager to try again, but definitely an experience to remember. After my visit, other than opening my eyes to new things, I also saw a lot of poor beggars trying to earn a little money to sustain themselves. It made me realize how fortunate I truly am, and helped me count my blessings.

Poverty in Singapore (YueSan)

Poverty in Singapore is fairly rare, but usually at MRT stations, you can see a few buskers busking for some money. Even though Singapore is a first world country, we should not forget the poor people that need our help financially because of it. Poverty should be a concern of everyone, not just the poor, and we should play our part to eradicate it by contributing to charities, etc. Every little helps, no matter how insignificant, to a greater whole in total.