This trip gave me a deeper understanding of China, especially in Shanghai and Yangzhou, and it changed some of my thoughts and perspectives I had of China before I went on this trip. This trip also made me appreciate what we had in Singapore, and not to take these things for granted, because these things were not things that could come by easily. It also made me think that Singapore is really fortunate to be so prosperous, and the education we receive is so good, compared to China's. When we went to the school in Yangzhou for the exchange program, we observed the way of life in their school. I finally realized that their life in school was much more tedious compared to ours. They had even longer school hours than us and there wasn't much rest time for them. Their lessons were also very "detailed" and the content being taught was very rich, and I would not be able to absorb so much knowledge if I were them. This taught me to be grateful that RV was different, as it organised different events at different times of the year, so that we students can relax and have a good break. Over in their school, I couldn't see any events or campaigns, and they studied and studied all the time, which seems to make their school life boring.
I enjoyed the time when we were have P.E lessons with our Chinese buddies and it was a very fun and enriching experience. Unlike our P.E , their P.E was meant to be fun and enjoyed. The teacher who taught us the Wushu was also really funny and he was a good teacher. Although the lesson was pretty short and simple, I got to experience how their P.E lessons are like.
Also, I have become more aware of the values and beliefs of people in China. From the way I have observed the students at the Yangzhou school, I can tell that the Chinese students are very well behaved, and they have a lot of self-discipline, unlike most of us. During their lesson time, they sit up very straight and listen attentively, without fidgeting or doing other things. This is probably because of their very strict teachers, who want to instil values like self-discipline in the students. When they want to ask a question, they will raise up their hands and not just shout out the answer whenever they want. This shows that they are very orderly and they know the appriopriate time to talk. What I can also infer from this is that the students take a lot of initiative to answer questions. Almost immediately after the teacher asks a question, someone would raise up their hands to answer the question. We RVians should learn from the Chinese students to be more initiative.
I am proud to be a Singaporean because although we don't have a such a long history or culture, we have many "trends" that only we know or do. We also have many terms which other foreigners will not understand, that is only unique to us Singaporeans. I am also proud of the fact that Singapore is a multi-racial community, which is a very rare thing, as countries like in the middle-east often have many conflicts due to discrimination of races and religions. This just shows how bonded and united Singapore is as one. We might not have the history or the power, but what we have is one big bonded community, regardless of race, language or religion. Singapore offers so many opportunities for us to grow, and we should treasure these opportunities which will benefit us in future. That is why I am proud to be a Singaporean.
In Shanghai, the Chinese preserved the areas such as the Bund and the French Concession. They preserved them by keeping the old structure of the buildings there, while converting some of the insides into trendy cafés or even museums, which showcase the history of these monuments or buildings. Even though the old life or culture of the building might be gone, they made an effort to preserve it by installing museums so that people will be keen about these histories.For example, in the French Concession, there were many old westernized buildings that were from the past, but the government managed to turn that place into a new tourist attraction, and tourists will be able to appreciate the long history of these sights, while seeing the new side of it at the same time. If they just keep the buildings there without anything in them, the entire place would not be popular for the young people, and it might just end up being a dead town that was abandoned. Singapore should learn from China and instead of destroying the old buildings that were rich in history, they could make use of it to build cafés and museums , that could attract many young people. These young people can learn the history behind these buildings or sites at the same time, while eating or drinking
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