OELP to Anhui, China (reflection)

Entong:

Personally, i feel that that this 7 days trip to Anhui was really a fruitful experience and it was very memorable. The trip was very beneficial and informative as I really learnt a lot more on the history of China. When I was on the high speed rail travelling from Shanghai to Hefei, I realized that this mode of travelling is really very convenient and it saves up a lot of time since we took nearly 6 hour to travel from Hefei to Shanghai by bus. The high speed rail attracts tourists, thus increasing their economic development and also affecting the world's economy. During the visit to ifkytek and Meiling company, I learnt more about the technology progress of China and I also realized that China's technology is actually very developed, which is different from what I expected. Their developed technology is also one of the factor that caused their fast developing economic. For the School immersion, I feel that it is a really very meaningful experience. I was able to experience the school life of those students living in China and I have to say that it is pretty much different from ours. Their curriculum, their way of teaching and even the attitude of the students were different from us. Throughout the whole trip, I also visited many historical places and learnt more about those famous historical characters such as Li Hongzhang and Baogong. I learnt more about the traditional beliefs in China such as woman are not allowed to step out of the house and that males are superior to the females. The historical places we visited such as the traditional houses showed all the traditional beliefs thus it can also help to educate the current generation to abolish those thoughts. Not only that, I could also tell that people then had to rely on one another as they had to wash their clothes in a shared lake thus showing why people in China are so united as one. During the visit to the former residence of Li Hongzhang, I learnt more about how he contributed to the currently modernized China and how significant his role was to China. The visit to Baogongci also taught all of us that we have to be honest. Not only did the trip provided me with more information, but it also made me realized something that is more valuable which is class spirit. During our 8km hike up the Huangshan, although it was a really tough and tiring journey, all of us managed to overcome it with all the words of encouragement from our friends. The whole trip definitely made our whole class more bonded and the class spirit shown was really unforgettable. In conclusion, I feel that this whole trip is very unforgettable as there were many wonderful memories made. Although it is a learning trip, I definitely enjoyed myself and also gained more knowledge.

Qianyu:

This OELP trip to Anhui has been an enriching experience as well as an enjoyable one. I believe the entire class has enjoyed themselves thoroughly during the short one week. Throughout this trip, we visited several historical sites like the 包公庙 and definitely learnt a lot more about China history and how these figures in the long history of China contributed to helping to build the modern China today. Also, we visited several companies and factories that contributes to the economic growth of China, which was surprisingly one of the world’s strongest economic forces albeit their world rank. Besides that, we learnt a lot more about the products they produce, like how Mei Ling produces their own brand of refrigerators and sell them to the public which would definitely improve the economic of China. We also got to visit Mei Ling’s factory which allowed us to witness the orderly and systematic fashion in which the factory produces the refrigerators.

The short two day visit to the school in Hefei also opened up our eyes on China’s different culture and how different the schools there worked compared to Singapore schools. After every lesson, the students get a 10 minute break, for them to properly rest their eyes so that they would be more focused during the next period and this was something we all envied. However, the downside of this practice of having breaks in between lessons is that the students would have to leave school at a much later time than Singapore students. Where our school normally ends at 2.30pm, students there leave school at as late as 5.40pm. We also got to visit huangshan, one of china’s most beautiful mountainous areas, and got to see before our eyes how spectacular the view from the peak was. We also learnt from our tour guides about the countless types of floras and faunas thriving there, and I came to realize that China was a place that is rich in natural resources, be it for medical purposes or otherwise. Also, we had to climb a total of 8km to get to peak, a process which was definitely not an easy one and taught us the importance of persevering till the very end, as the view was definitely worth the long climb.

This OELP trip was also an opportunity for our class to bond. Through the trip, the class has become a lot closer, no longer just sticking to their own cliques but instead hanging out with everyone in the class. Playing games during dinner just so we finish the food, taking care of those people who are sick, cheering each on while climbing Huangshan, it is these little moments and subtle moves that make us treasure the times we have together more. The teachers, Mr Liu, Ms Teo and Mr Zhong were really friendly and patient with us as well, making us feel comfortable and instead of treating us like student, we were treated as though we were their friends and thus the class and the teachers got along really well and I would just like to thank these three teachers for their care through the entire trip! Overall, this OELP trip has been a really fruitful one and looking back, there was not a moment where I did not enjoy!

Fernanda:

Personally, I feel that this trip to Anhui China was a great exposure for students like us to know more about the development of another country. I benefited from this trip in a way that I got to know more about the differences and similarities between our country and China which I cannot simply just understand from Google. I feel that we are very lucky to be given this opportunity to attend an overseas learning trip and get to learn beyond the classroom.

Through this trip, I realised that although China is still a developing country, their developing speed is far faster than I had expected. Visits to places like the Meiling Company and iflytek gave me an impression that China’s advancement in technology is huge. It shows me that they have a strong desire to improve themselves and the country so as to lift China’s status up. However, their development in technologies did not stop them from preserving their rich history and cultures. The Baogongci Park and Li Hong Zhang residence amazed me with their different ancient architectures and display items. Many of the moral values held strongly by the past generations were all over the place, educating the current and future generations and even visitors like us. I feel that the Chinese are appreciative because by preserving their culture and history shows their acknowledgement and gratitude towards the past contributions of the great people like the Bao gong and Li Hong Zhang. I feel that this is something many of us can learn from them. I feel that Singapore is lacking in this aspect of preserving most of our culture when compared to China.

The school immersion programme was one of my favourite during this trip. The education system in China is rather different from Singapore’s. They had a longer curriculum period but frequent breaks in between lessons. They had a strong determination to do well in their studies.The students showed their enthusiasm and passion in learning. I felt really inspired by the students there because their enthusiasm could sustain throughout all the lessons. They are all fighting for a spot in the society so as to provide themselves with a higher standard of living.

The 8km Huangshan hike was another highlight of this entire trip. This was one of the key moments that bonded our class as a whole. The climb was quite tough but the reward you get after reaching the peak is one of the best things you could ever imagine. The view from the peak was scenic and breath-taking. I personally liked the part when we kept on encouraging one another while climbing the mountain because we could really feel the 2F spirit and we definitely got closer to each other after this trip.

I enjoyed the trip to China very much not really because of the location but rather the company and memories we created together during this trip. It is definitely one of the key moments in my life and I have learnt to appreciate my class even more now. Thank you to everyone who made this trip a wonderful experience!

 Amos:

The OELP trip is a once in a lifetimes chance to go overseas and learn about the cultures of China together with my classmates. As China is currently modernizing at an incredible speed and with a population of over 1.5 million people which is the most populated country in the world, thus it is important that we learn about the culture and language of the Chinese republic as when we enter the working world, we would have a very high chance of interacting and doing business with them. As many people say, Chinese is the language of the future, this not only shows that we have to learn Chinese language, it also shows that it is important to know more about their culture as we can use it to our advantage the next time we do business or design something for the Chinese public with a population of 1.5 billion people in China. The Chinese market is something investors, companies and businesses would want to target now and even more in the future as the population in China keeps on growing. As the younger generation and the generation that will be doing the business with China in the future, the school wants us to be prepared and learn more about the culture of China, thus the OELP trip. Upon arriving at the different places we visit in China, we could see the difference between the past and the present. From ancient villages such as Hongcun ancient village to the huge production lines of Meiling, it's evident that China still treasures the old while they are modernizing really quickly. With a history of over 6000 years it is, impossible to 

learn all of China's history. However, by learning bits and pieces, we we can
understand a little more about China which will be really useful the next times
when we enter the working world

Suikiat:

I feel that the trip to anhui was certainly enlightening and it expanded my view of the world, allowing me to see what the conditions were like for other people in different parts of the world. I feel that anhui is quite a remarkable city when taking into account that the whole country modernised just in around 50 years. The city was quite advanced and there were even research facilities to improve the technology which countries developed for the needs of China's own people. Hence, we can have a rough gauge of how much china has developed, from a conservative monarchy into an advanced first-world country. Of course, china still has  room for development as there are many poor cities and rural areas in china, which all require the government to step in and change the way of lives of the people for the better. Hence, to conclude, i feel that china has improved a lot in the past 50 years and though there are parts where the people's lives are very bad and the government really needs to do something, china has done a relatively good job when compared to third world nations like Kenya and Nigeria. It has progressed much faster than those countries and caused other countries to respect them as formidable opponent.