CID- Education in China

Non-CID post : Biology Practical Reflection

On the 7th of July, I attended my second biology practical lesson to learn more about food test. We carried out 4 different tests to see if the presence of proteins, starch, oil/ fats and reduced sugar.  Before we carried out the experiments, the demonstrations of each test gave us a better understanding of the conduct of proving the biological molecules in food. Thus, I learnt to spend five minutes reading the procedures of each test and prepare the apparatus and materials to make them ready for use for the various experiments. With the Bunsen burner boiling a 150ml-filled with water beaker, I added drops of starch suspension, glucose solution, egg albumin solution and copper(II) sulfate solution to four cleaned test tubes respectively to make good use of every minute, with the hopes of completing the four tests as fast as possible. In addition, I filled up four other test tubes with distilled water which were acting as control set-ups to prove the results of the tests reliable and accurate. The conduct of each tests were relatively easy and manageable. I gained deeper insights to the important minor things to look out for. For example, from the carrying out of the test for reducing sugar, I learnt that the level of liquid in the test tube should never be above the water level in the beaker. However, if such situations happen, it would be best recommended to remove the test tubes and beaker from the set-up, fill up the beaker until water level is higher than that in the test tubes and wait for the water to boil before adding the two test tubes into the beaker back again. I have also discerned the most effective method of pouring water, simply by wrapping a towel around the beaker and pour the contents into the sink. Although this technique might seem very mundane, this was my first time conducting the test involving a boiling water bath individually and that fact that I could execute it made me feel a sense of achievement and satisfaction. Aside from the positive things from this practical, there were many cases of breakage during this lesson and the sound of glass breaking no doubt lowered my confidence and made me hectic, resulting in trembling hands. Despite this, I am glad that I was still able to finish all of the tests on time (even with a time limit!).   

Economics Part 4: One Child Policy

Population.

More important than it looks.

Population is an important aspect of nation building and planning and not forgetting, economy. Economy, as we all know, is a complex factor where population indirectly plays a huge and vital part in. To illustrate this, between 1970s to 1980s, Singapore's two child policy was implemented. This was because Singapore had an unstable economy back then and needed a controlled population in Singapore. With the population taken under control, lesser social problems will rise and lesser people being unemployed so as to achieve a firm economy. But bear in mind that, with higher the population living in a country, the GDP per capita will still be low per capita even if it is factually high. This means that population takes on an extremely important role and so if Singapore had not implemented such a policy back then, people would be giving birth to as many children as they could and lead to a high TFR (Total Fertility Rate), resulting in a not so firm economy for then Singapore due to the low GDP obtained. Therefore, population is essential for the progress of a country. However, is it that necessary for a country?

In this insight, I will be touching on China and the existing and growing issue of the famous one child policy and the aging population. China, home to one of the biggest and largest population in the world, is no doubt facing various economic and social issues. Although the one child policy has been changed to two child, the problems rising from both the younger and older generation have been greatly affecting the working class. Indeed, the working class have to withstand the biggest burden of society, working to pay more for the older generations through different platforms like taxes in Singapore's context, given that the elders need more financial care and the injuries that they beamorer are normally long-term recovery. However, with that, more and more adults are choosing not to giving birth and this has led to the Chinese government changing the one-child policy. Therefore, from this paragraph, we can see that the population has internal problems and conflicts as well.

A longer life span but lesser babies being delivered every year. Good yet bad news at the same time. Now a question to have could be, "What has happened to the 21th century?" or "What has changed the mindsets of those now with those of the past?" Well, i think it is because of the escalating cost of living. To fathom this situation in depth and rationally, let us be in the perspective of an adult of a working class. I work almost everyday to earn enough income to support my family and carry out daily activities like buying household items from a supermarket occasionally. However, some percentage of my income is reserved to pay for taxes to fund the government to pay for more hospitals to cater to the needs of the ageing population. Hence, I need to work on a regular basis to survive in an ever rapid changing environment which means I would have a tight schedule and a busy life. Now, all  we will be mostly likely thinking will be WORK, and not ENTERTAINMENT. Other than that, the cost of raising a child is quite exorbitant, factors like education, and my income might not be able to allow me to afford such things for the child. Besides that, since it is a competitive education system, i need to provide him a holistic learning environment so that he can excel and become successful in life, getting a high pay job. As I continued to ponder over such things, it dawned on me that the working class in general is the one supporting and carrying the society forward and when they are in stress, it is expected that there is a growing population that is ageing and a dwindling population of babies.

Therefore, it is no doubt the issue of a longer life span of human but a decreasing population is happening now.

But, are policies really required for the betterment of society? 

            

Heritage Part 1: Preservation and Modernisation

So, to demolish or to preserve? 

For the sake of history or for the sake of space and other reasons? 

In this week's CID lesson, the class touched on final topic of CID before we headed off to Suzhou and Shanghai for our OELP trip. We got to reflect on the importance of heritage sites towards a city and from there, we felt that heritage sites were important in local and international terms. In local's perspective, heritage sites gave a sense of belonging and space, cultural identity to our country and were a great way to understand and reflect on the history behind those monuments. However, in tourist's perspective, the heritage sites were unique features representing the country's culture, making the country unique and that would appeal to me in general. As we gained deeper insights of the importance of having heritage sites, I soon realised the tension between modernisation and preservation and the ways to make full use of preserved heritage without destroying any bits of it. To illustrate such concept, in Singapore's context, this can be represented by the things we are able to enjoy and see everyday. The playground, a strong and fond memory of many Singaporeans when they were a child, is a great example of modernisation and preservation. In the past, the ground of the playground used to be full of sand, however, it has been changed to foam for hygiene and safety purposes. This example got me thinking. In the 21st century, the society is rapidly advancing and changing so much that we have so much trouble catching up and so what are the relevance and cost effectiveness of heritage sites? Do we really have time and space to appreciate heritage and history?   

As we continued on with the lesson, we found ourselves in the debate that was still in question. Should we demolish or preserve Mr Lee Kuan Yew's house at Oxley Road? To discern on this hot topic of debate a few years back, the perspective of various stakeholders were needed to fathom the conflicting factors towards the debate. People taken in account ranged from LKY family to the URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority) As I stepped into the shoes of the neighbours living near the house, I found myself in a dilemma, interpreting the house in various context, along with the Singaporean children and adults. As much as I wanted to preserve the house as history of one of the founding fathers of Singapore, the house's demolish would allow the land value to escalate as the HDB flats around it no longer need to not hover over LKY's house. So the big question still remains. To keep or to remove?
   
Personally, I feel that the house should be demolished. Mr Lee Kuan Yew, a simple and humble national leader, had said in an interview that the house was to be demolished as part of his last will. So, as Singaporeans, it is only right that we pay due respect to this incredible leader that helped change the fate of Singapore, from a third world country to a first world country that we live and enjoy today. It is of his selfless contributions to the nation and the number of sacrifices done that we can live in this metropolis in comfort and in harmony. Thus, it is only fair we play our role as the younger generation to listen and adhere to his wishes, his wishes of not having his privacy opened up and invaded by trudging visitors from everywhere. It is also for the sake of the neighbours as well. By demolishing the house in great need of renovation, the land can be redeveloped and would lead to the fluctuate in land value. I strongly believe that the history of one of our great founding father can be learned through test books, videos or a replica of the house in one of the national museum. Although the impact of Mr Lee Kuan Yew would not be as strong as having the house preserved as a heritage site towards the younger generations, the house would still be better off demolished because to be truthful, the house would require lots of money to renovate the substandard of the foundation of the house. Besides that, with visitors swarming in to observe the house, the house might not be able to withstand such a weight and the items on displays might get damaged along the way as well. The house, though precious and special, will remain as a living history of Singapore when preserved but the quality or standard of it would not be ideal when opened to visitors for a long period of time. Therefore, with that in mind, I then feel that the house being demolished would be a better option to the fate of it. 

From the discussions held in class, I realised that heritage sites play an important role in a society because it is a living historical reminder of the past and that history can be represented as heritage as well. Although Mr LKY's house received various points of views and comments, all i can say is that before we do anything, we should ask ourselves: 
"Is there real value in being at the actual location and seeing the actual artefacts?" and 
"What difference in the impact would be brought about from seeing it in person or seeing it in various platforms of delivering messages?"

Heritage sites hold numerous memories and stories that would benefit future generations but would future generations appreciate and protect them? 

Economy Part 5: Factory to the World

The dilemma. 
Should we strive for higher economic growth or for protection of our environment? Does wealth really value more than environment?

China, as we all know, is the factory to the world. Almost everything we own is branded with indications 'Made in China' or is it? Despite the many products manufactured in China, there are also stamps like 'Made in Japan' or 'Made in Thailand' and the list goes continuously. So, what makes China stand out from other countries that produce goods too? Is it the weak currency? Is it due to the large land area that China has compared to the rest? 

In this week's CID lesson, we discussed about the various comparative advantages of China through videos that go in depth to discern what are the factors of China's success. Confused i was as a student, the perspective of a businessman was necessary for me to fathom the whole situation. 
Firstly, I would need easy access to manpower to have sufficient number of people who are willing to work in and run my factory for money. High unemployment rate would then be one of the criteria i look out for. Other than that, i would also want the country that i am investing in to have somewhat cheap currency. The aim of building a factory on a foreign piece of land is to be able to produce as many goods as i can within a short period of time to cater to the growing demands of the people all across the world. Thus, when the currency is lower, I can produce large amounts of goods to be shipped into millions of supermarkets but only need to pay cheap utilities bill of electricity, water so on and so forth. The only expensive part of this process of production would be the shipping rate iand maybe the corporate taxes instead of the bills, allowing me to gain more profit and make even more goods. Lastly, I will look out for the access and availability to natural resources. Let's face it, you can't make anything with nothing. You can't plant a tree without soil or a seed. You can't have a easy time running a factory when there is an absence in natural resources. Why would do i want to manufacture my goods at a place where there is scare natural resources and fork out additional money just to acquire them for smooth production of goods? Therefore, it becomes one of the key priorities in the consideration on the best location to build my factory. And with that, as a businessmen, i view a country with questions like 'Are there a large demand of jobs by the people there?', 'Is the currency there able to benefit my factory and I?' and 'What are the types of natural resources I have access to there?' 

These thoughts that i had showed one common understanding. Wealth. Wealth to the country and my company. China indeed, compared to other countries, has more attractive offers. It has one of the largest land space, a good number of population, a decent unemployment rate, provides access to natural resources that will assist in my production of goods, a reasonable corporate tax and the monthly minimum wages per worker is quite low. It is hence no doubt that many pick China over the rest. Financial burden will be greatly reduced, more supply of goods and many space to build infrastructures. Such comparative advantages will attract foreign investors to invest in China over the rest.

However, is it just the pursuit of economic growth that China enjoys from the wide attraction of foreign investors? In life, it is certain that in order to enjoy something, you will need to pay a certain amount of price and China is no exception. As i played the role of a businessman, it got me thinking. There is surely advantages and disadvantages to everything on the world and so, why are there so many factories from big companies like Apple choosing China as their place of production? Is wealth the only thing they pursuit in?

Truly, it is more than meets the eye. Manufacturing products may seem like a easy, harmless process, but in reality, it is not. Many environmental pollution, byproducts of production, will be produced and this has become an issue to many European companies, restricting their mass production of goods. China, on the other hand, has little enforcement on environmental laws and this, no doubt, resulted in an another huge attraction to the European companies. Thus, can you imagine China's effective way of attracting foreign investors is actually bringing more and more harm to themselves? More factories set up by various foreign investors, more cheap goods produced at a faster rate, more carbon dioxide being released as greenhouse gas. Indeed, China has suffered terribly from the consequences she has brought upon herself. On 3 Jan this year, China had to issue the first national 'red alert' for the severe fog, haze and smog. Many northern, eastern and central China had been blanketed in a thick layer of grey haze, reducing visibility to nearly nothing. 

Image source

Therefore, the dilemma. The blind pursuit of higher economic growth? The protection for our environment?

Economics Part 3: Standard of Living

Standard of living. What does it actually mean? Cost of living. What is the difference between these two phrases?

Should you be unable to put it to words, standard of living simply means quality of life and cost of living means the minimum cost needed to survive. These two phrases may seem rather mundane but it holds great significance. 

Firstly, let's talk about the standard of living. To makes things easier and simpler, through discussions held in class, many of us describe Singapore's standard of living as modernised, comfortable and decent. However, what is being used to measure the standard of living of countries in the world? Well, no fret! I have got you covered! With reference to resaerch, from a long list of factors, GDP ,or gross domestic product, access to education and climate are some of the few points that contributes to the quality of life of the people be it living or visiting a country. 

Now, let's talk about cost of living. It is the maintaining of basic level of life like water, food, shelter, clothes and last but not least, transportation. It also means the level of wealth, comfort, material goods and necessities available to a certain group of people in a certain location. Most of us will likely have different opinions towards the cost of living in Singapore's context. Some would say it is expensive, while others say it is affordable. 

Nonetheless, despite the different response from the general people, there is no doubt that there is no such thing as a 'perfect thing'. So, there are possible consequences of a high cost living in Singapore. Firstly, i feel that pollution is brought about by the high cost of living. With a considerable amount of wealth earned by many normal Singaporeans, we are inclined to getting the latest out of everything for the sake of reputation and the sack of keeping up with the advancing world. Thus, we are able to afford more and the same thing happens with our wastage. We throw even more. Therefore, a high cost of living will likely result in an increase in pollution produced by each and every people living in Singapore. Other than pollution, the bills for basic items like water and electricity will also be high. Since we own a good sum of income, we will feel no qualms to the amount of utilities used and so it will not solve the problem of the water scarcities happening around the world. With such problems rising, there will be a need to alter the prices of utilities to instill the mindset of the need to save water and cherish every drop of water we use.

Pre-Trip Preparation [Economy Task]

This is the list of things that can be used to take note of the different standard and cost of living in Singapore and China,thus, allowing me to have an easier time to spot the similarities and differences between these two countries.

In Singapore's context:

E and C Week Reflection

Before the trip, I had little problem defining what Singapore's culture means. My answer, based on the CID lessons that i had attended, would be a generic "Singapore's culture is based on the unique food, fashion, festival and folks". Never would i have thought that the school would arrange such a cultural trip to broaden our perspective towards the different races and ethnic groups living on the same island as me. Thus, upon hearing news of the places that i would visit, I was rather shocked but was excited at the same time and could not help but think, why is there a need to arrange such a trip and more specifically, why these three places in Singapore? Could it be because i am studying in a Chinese school? Can i really learn and change my perspective of Singapore's culture entirely just from going to Little India, Kampong Glam and Madrasah Aljunied? From the pre-briefing, I had no idea that there were existence of Malay schools but more specifically, 6 madrasahs which were private Islamic institution located all around Singapore. I, with an open mind, a positive spirit and a humble heart, was ready to have a hands on experience and embrace the Malay and Indian cultures to clear any of my doubts and misconceptions towards them. 

On the very first day of the E and C week, my class, together with 1I, was assigned to do wayang kulit as our aesthetics programme. The vendors introduced and explained to us kindly about wayang kulit, how 'wayang' means 'puppets' while 'kulit' means 'skin' and so wayang kulit basically means puppets that are made out of leather. While the vendor displayed to us the different types of puppets made by different countries due to the different cultures there, I noticed that wayang kulit was very similar to the Chinese's shadow puppetry. Both were shadow puppets and made out of leather. To me, this suggested how arts are passed down not only from generations to generations but also introduced and exposed to different cultures as well. However, I was quite disappointed. Why was there a need to do wayang kulit when i was already doing the Chinese shadow puppetry in the RV literature programme. With that, i expected less from the forklores that wayang kulit had to offer but to my surprise, the Ramayana story, the story that we had to act out, was very interesting and was super different from the stories that i had expected. Nonetheless, I had fun discussing with my friends and coming out with an agreed plot despite the presence of contrasting ideas within the team. Though it might seem mundane, it was my first step to opening the doors of the Malay culture, my very first step in being exposed to the different cultures so in depth. 

Following up to that were the trips to Little India, Kampong Glam and Madrasah Aljunied.

On the second and third day, we visited Little India and Kampong Glam. In terms of food, what i saw were the common cuisines like nasi lemak, briyani, kueh lapis and dried gulab jamun. However, i noticed that what i had in mind was just the tip of the ice berg but what was really underneath it was the racial harmony present at Tekka centre in Little India and the Arab street in Kampong Glam. At Tekka Centre, I thought that there would be a lot of Indian stalls but to my astonishment, there were Chinese, Malay and even Western food sold there. I questioned myself, why are there a range of different kinds of cuisines sold there? Is Little India not filled with Indians? At Arab Street, as I walked past the narrow walkways between the stalls there, I saw non-Muslims working at the different textile stalls and were selling traditional and infusion of Malay attires. It dawned on me how diverse the culture are here in Singapore and we can get along with one another well, thus, not much tension between the different ethnic groups living here. Reminiscing it, I am really thankful for having such peace and harmony here because the world is now full of wars, terrorist attacks and riots, very unstable yet, we are still able to make peace with one another and are sensitive of what we say about our thoughts and stereotypical mindsets of each and every races here. 

 On the third day, we visited the Sultan Mosque and Madrasah Aljunied. At the mosque, pillars of Islam and articles of faith, mosque etiquettes, ablution of Wudu and the 5 obligatory of prayers were some of the things taught to us. Other than learning that the Malays have to cleanse themselves and go through the 8 steps of Ablution 5 times per day, I realised that there were certain protocols that they have to follow and that the Malay culture had some fusion of Christianity as well. This was very surprising and shocking to me. How did the fusions occur in history and how has such fusions impacted customs and beliefs in the Malay community? Moving on from the Sultan Mosque, I visited Madrasah Aljunied, 2nd oldest madrasah living in Singapore, celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. Conversing with them through our questions and their educational power points introducing the Malay culture and their school, I was astonished by the fact that they studied an average of 14 subjects and how they were still able to cope with this myriad amount of subjects. However, other than the difference in the number of subjects that they needed to take up, their co-curriculum's duration were much much shorter than ours. Throughout the three outdoor activities, I spotted many cultural differences- for the Malay, one unique difference is islamic arts like Khat which is having a sharp point at the end of each words, thus, preventing enemies in the olden days to change the meaning of the message when sending from empire to empire; for the Indians are the garlands like the lime garland is used to potentially ward off any evil spirits around them.       


After embarking the exciting cultural journey in Singapore during E and C week, I have found myself questioning why i did not have the urge to learn more of the races here and my knowledge towards the diverse cultures here.  As i look back at the amount of time planned for this programme, I feel that the main objective is that culture is very complex and multi-dimensional. Only if we spend time living and being with people can we truly understand a culture and see what is underneath the tip of an ice berg. The experience has indeed made me achieve the goal of this programme. I have deepened my understanding of Singapore's culture and realised that there was more than meets the eye. I discovered that what my mindset of Singapore before the trip was insufficient to truly understand and embrace the cultural differences among every Singaporeans. This was very much impactful because I would have never thought of going to these cultural places and having brief conversations with strangers on the streets to understand what was beneath the surface which in this context, my idea of Singapore's culture in an iceberg. In spite of the smooth flow of events throughout the E and C week, the time allocated for each location was a bit too short and so there were many points that i noted were lacking content and sufficient explanation. Also, the app we were told to download in our phones did not really come in handy because most of the time, my group was just using our data to locate places through google maps and the password for access to map for Little India did not work so we were spending most of our time on out instincts or google map. 

As the saying goes, "Experiencing another's culture may open the doors that were previously closed...but the choice to walk through those doors is entirely up to you." It is only if we take the initiative to understand another culture well, understand the different practices ranging from different races, can we open these doors that are already in front of us, available for us to open anywhere and anytime. It is only when we are accepting to other cultures, optimistic towards everything and be humble, can we be able to be more aware of culture and practices of the Indian and Malay community and learn to be pro-active in building a multi-racial Singapore. If I can have such an attitude, why can't you?

Thank you for reading this blog. :D

Lesson 6: Friends or Foes?

From the previous post, I mentioned about the lessons that the Singapore government learnt and experienced from the collaboration with the China government of Suzhou Industrial Park. The venturing to China to attract foreign investments to Singapore by building the $30 billion industrial park led to heavy debt and this forced Singapore to cut its interest in the original project, resulting in Singapore's share to reduce to 35% from 65%. However, does that mean that Singapore should not continue to share her development experiences with other countries?

Well, it depends. Taking in consideration that Singapore is in a fragile and vulnerable position in this fast changing world so we cannot afford to lag behind in terms of our economic developments. We have to constantly move forward despite the obstacles and challenges along the way to improve and maintain our edge in this world. Singapore is also a small country so being irrelevant or ignored by other bigger countries will happen, thus, what keeps Singapore strong is the approaches our government has taken to keep the symbiotic relationship occur between us and the other countries. 

I feel that Singapore should continue to share because only from failures can we better improve our investments in other foreign countries. Although collaborations sometimes may not turn out as planned, we should still pursue our own interests but reflect from the failures and continue to try again. Other than gaining valuable business skills, we can also earn revenue from the attractions of foreign investments into our plot of land. This can also attract the attention of those bigger countries and make our relevance obvious to them, making them more willing to invest in Singapore. These can contribute to Singapore's economy and allow us to keep on flourishing in this quick and changing world. 

i also feel that Singapore should not share too much development experiences with other countries as well because the managements, techniques of governing, environment, cultures and the policies differ from countries to countries so we should have a good understanding of the culture, mentality and business practices of the countries that we have plans of investing in. If not, we will be in very heavy debt and we might strain the relations between Singapore and other countries which would affect our development progress and revenue. This would also pull down our economy and would make Singapore unattractive to foreign trades and investments.

All in all, as a small country, Singapore should consider the pros and cons and the problems that will pop up from the different collaborations with various countries. This would allow us to be rational, benefit and learn from the different collaborations made. Thus, Singapore has the choice to choice to share her development experiences with other countries. 

Lesson 6: Win-Win Partnership

What represents Singapore? Is it our famous HDB flats? Or the the community centres built near our area to promote unity and harmony among every Singaporeans? What if you can find such facilities in other places in the world, other than Singapore?

That's right! Through the collaborations between the Singapore and China governments, the Suzhou Industrial Park was therefore built in 1994. The idea of HDB flats, community centre and the trees along the expressways in Singapore were brought over there. However, along the years of this partnership, there were many ups and downs, many challenges that the park faced over the years. And so, Singapore has learnt many valuable lessons when investing in China. From the looks of the situation, I have noticed that in Singapore, Singaporeans practise 法,理,感, which means that they obey closely to the policies and take note of the laws and orders here, followed by rational thinking and then relationships between ourselves. As a contrast, the people living in China practises 感,理,法, which means that they pay the most attention to the relationships before rationality and laws present there in mainland China. Through the building of the Suzhou Industrial Park, Singapore government has lost a lot of money and has learnt the ways to do business on a foreign piece of land in a hard and painful way. However, this has helped us improve and maintain our position in this ever fast changing world, making us relevant to the symbiotic relationships necessities in this almost globalised era 

Lesson 5: SG's relationship with China

SG50...SG51  and soon SG52! 

Time really flies past quick and let us not forget the history of the country we live in right now. Singapore has transformed from a third world country to a first world country tremendously and incredibly fast. With such impressive change in the state of our nation, our economy has also follow suit and grew through the process of the transformation. And so, we as Singaporeans should not and never take Singapore for granted and complacency should not build up within us for whatever we have right now. It is extremely important because Singapore will not be able to continue to prosper if we were to think that we have all the essential things here and neglect trades happening within and beyond the country. 

Singapore, a little red dot found on the atlas, started off with nothing but little resources to work with. What made it where it is today, well-known to people all around the world, is the fact that ,firstly, it has a strategic location and a natural habour for ships to stop by and trade, secondly, it welcomes foreign trades and investments and lastly, a small, clean and efficient government or constitution running the country. It is because of these three factors that contributed to the success story of Singapore, a country that even bigger country look up to.

Today, many of the item we use or consume are mostly manufactured or bred in different parts of the world, rarely the tag that says "Made in Singapore" can be spotted or recognised in supermarkets, shopping malls or even at home. Yes, what we have in contact these days are imports and this is how we get resources to assist in our prosperity. Imports play a key role in most Singaporeans' daily lives and we cannot live without them. China is still our country's largest trading partner and  Singapore was also China' foreign investor from 2013  to 2015 too. Therefore, Singapore's relationship with such a major partner is very vital and important. For Singapore to maintain a strong GDP, it has to have a balance trade between imports and exports. Most of our target audience for our exports such as medical and technical equipment is China and so Singapore depends greatly on China for trades. Singapore is generally very vulnerable to negative sentiments and possible geographical projects so we need to be on friendly terms with China so that we will be able to receive help or supported when we are in times of crisis and rising problems in the world's economy. As a result of such important reasons, the need for the relationship between China, a huge, globalised and industrialised country and Singapore, a little and digitalised country is necessary.   

Lesson 4: Embracing Cultural Differences

CULTURE

Culture?

A big word that is of many definitions but the most and easiest working definition can be readily defined as 'Food', 'Fashion' , 'Festival' and 'Folks'. 

Through four lessons of CID, i have indeed gained deeper understanding of culture and cultural forces that shape a country. Although culture is a complex concept and that what can be observed from that one week in China is just only a scratch on the surface of what actually defines China's culture, I have learnt to do sufficient research to ensure that I can better comprehend the rest of the ice berg that cannot be seen directly which in this context is China's culture such as heritage, education, economy and culture. This would broaden my perspective towards Singapore and China and allow me to perceive both countries' similar yet different ways of governing and background history, inducing me to recognize the similarities and differences of their culture despite being mostly occupied by Chinese Singaporeans and still having preserved Chinese-related heritage sites. Thus, in my opinion, this would truly deepen my understanding of Singapore's and China's symbolic relationship, the importance of its existence and the beneficiary of it.

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RESEMBLANCE BUT UNLIKENESS 

A small step to understand, a big step to realise its importance.

As day slowly but swiftly passes by, days till OELP has also been decreasing one by one, slowly but surely. Therefore, it is only right to start research soon and to start off will be to grasp the common yet non-identical points between Singapore and China's culture. 

To be sure that we are respectful whether be it in Singapore or China, there are four big principals that belongs to Chinese's tradition mindset of ru jia, focusing more on humaneness, righteous and proper rite, three out of the five values of Confucianism's philosophy. So, the big questions are "To what extent is Singapore's shared values influenced by Confucianism?" and "What are the big 4 principals and what do them encompass?" These questions are very essential in the process of differentiating the both countries' culture so it is very important that we are sure of it. 

Since Singapore and China have quite a rich Chinese history, it is not surprising that both share common traditions, practices and beliefs. Relationships, rank, reciprocity and face are the 4 big principles. I believe that the Chinese in both countries would have been raised by their parents with traditional values and morale instilled slowly into them as they slowly grow from a child to a teenager. So, a similarity between both countries' culture is face. As a Chinese, i feel that many others also are concerned with their appearances, impressions towards others or simply their reputation. From my point of view, i always hope that thing run smoothly to what i assume in my mind so that i will not feel embarrass when something wrong happens somewhere. Same in the context in China, it is only right to appreciate and thank the host for their warm welcome especially when the host if of a really high authority. Another similarity is reciprocity, the feeling of having something back as return after helping someone. It should have happened to us not just once or twice but a few times. For example, when we help someone with something that troubles him/her, we would usually wait for that person to repay us for our kindness patiently, waiting for him/her to receive that signal without any need of reminders. In the context of China, it would be polite of me to repay kindness or helping anyone instinctively whenever they help me in one way or another. 

Despite having common points, there are bound to be differences in culture as well. From the point of education wise, in Singapore's culture, a significant phenomenon that occurs is kaisuism, being scared of losing out. Thus, many Singaporeans students will work and study hard to be top or achieve commendable results in tests, sometimes affecting and concerning their parents as well. However, in China's culture, it is not that obverse to the Chinese students studying in China and one reason might be due to having a bigger population base that Singapore. Another two differences are the way of cooking and the type of food consumed. In Singapore, most Chinese families will order food outside to eat at home and are free to take different countries' food, influenced by Singapore's multiracial and multicultural society. However, in China, most Chinese families cook at home and rather consume Chinese food.

These are only some similarities and differences between Singapore and China's culture and so i look forward in the OELP trip to perceive and prove some stereotypes either right or wrong. 

Chingay Reflection

Before going for Chingay on the 21th of January, I had little idea of what Chingay was about and had never watched one live before. Thus, i was really excited for the learning journey. I did research on the background history of Chingay and found out that it was originally held at Orchard Road shopping belt. This made me wonder why there was a need for the change in venue. This aroused my curiosity and through my thorough research, it was to celebrate the millennium in 2000 and so the procession took a new route,still used until today, beginning at City Hall and ending at the Suntec City Fountain of Wealth.

On that very day, what welcomed me was a sky filled with ominous clouds and my class and I dressed in transparent raincoats at the F1 Pit. It was drizzling but what touched me even before the event had started were the volunteers who stood in the rain with their raincoats on ushering the audience, which in this case were the students from various primary and secondary schools. They braved the rain and encouraged us to move faster to make sure that we would be able to get to our seats faster and cause lesser jams along the way.                             

Since my class was the last to leave the school, upon reaching my seat, the show had already begun. The rain still poured down

The breathtaking view despite the drizzle!

 and some of us took out their umbrellas to block the raindrops from touching them. However, this posed as a problem and annoyance to those siting behind them because the raindrops that flowed down the surface of the umbrella dripped at the tip, making a puddle of water in the curved hole on the raincoat, near the lap. Nonetheless, i still got to see the breathtaking scenery of the Singapore Flyer from the top of the seats and the waterway that was going to be used the different event segments.

The two emcees, one speaking English and one translating it to Chinese, of the show talked more about Chingay and how it has become over the years of planning of the programmes. They introduced the theme of this year's Chingay, Soundwaves Chingay, WeCare Singapore and listed some of the event highlights. I think that since Singapore is multiracial and multicultural country, there was a need for another emcee to help those that could only understand Chinese but it made me wonder what about the other races. 

The grand opening!

As the sky slowly turned dark, the grand opening finally began. From my seat, i could see performers from different races coming together to perform, united as one. There were 600 performers from all races, ages and background. As they pulled the crescent moon and the five stars on our national flag, it exemplifies and uplifts the five core values--democracy, justice, peace, progress and prosperity. There was the showcase of 1,500 organisations of different backgrounds using specially designed "WeCare Sinagpore" banners. The performance was lively and mesmerising. What accompanied it was the perfectly-timed lighting and the slow rhythm of a song which made the segment even more perfect. I was really amazed me and felt fresh.


Somewhere along the show, the rain took to a halt and something that i will never forget is the incorporation of xinyao songs or Singapore songs into some of the segments. I sang along to the melancholy tune and reminisce the good old days where i heard or watched the music videos of those songs that really shape the Singapore of today. It made me realise how much Singapore has grown and induced me to feel proud for being a Singaporean, a part of Singapore. Some songs were familiar to my ears while i racked my brain to figure out songs that seemed rather hard for me to remember their names. Nevertheless, i had a fun time jamming along to the songs and even getting to know more about my friends who are into it as well! Different ethnic groups also performed with the xinyao songs and i am really proud that despite the difference in languages, races or even religions, we still work together, understand and appreciate every ethnicity.  

The firework display!

The finale was the showcase of the stunning water, fire, snow and lightning effects and made many in awe and amazement, especially me. It summarised this year's theme and displayed the youth's energy and confidence in overcoming the challenged ahead. What's a good show without fireworks? The fireworks used burst into different shapes and colours, giving off an high-spirited aura. However, the fireworks burst out behind me so i had to keep turning around in order to capture the fireworks that made me dumbfounded tons and tons of time. It made me wonder why and i was frustrated by the unfair of treatment but i soon broadened my point  of view and noticed that there were primary school students sitting opposite me. I immediately understood the treatment and the sacrifice that i had to make, just to make the experience for them a good and memorable one.  

Through the one hour plus show, it has really benefited me in many different kinds of way and i really appreciate and is grateful for this learning journey organised by the school. It has also answered my question that i had in mind throughout the whole show which is "So, what is Chingay?" To me, Chingay is  the time to showcase the variety of arts and masquerade by different races and countries.During the show, I noticed that the many of the show segments and performers were of different races and culture and this made me wonder why there was a need to do so. It soon dawned on me that Chingay is also a unique national festival celebrated by different races, religions, ages and creed with no barriers to separate Singaporeans and in turn allow us to celebrate together as one. Therefore, i deeply feel that Chingay has indeed fulfilled its purpose from my very own experience. It was neither a Malay festival nor a Indian festival but our own Singaporean festival. It was also neither mainly a Japanese show nor a mainly Singapore show but a mixture of different countries' cultures that makes Chingay special. I hope that Singapore's multiple interrelationships can  last long and make the future Chingay performances even more enriching and more exciting.  

The grand finale! 

This is really innovative!

Lesson 3: Perspective of a director

As a director, i wanted to show that in the Chinese culture, the younger generation are very filial to their parents, grandparents and those who are older and related to them. For the video, i requested one of the celebrity that i invited to be featured in the video to pour tea from a jar into a small cup and later move the cup towards the camera while singing the lyrics of the song "Welcome to Beijing". This scene shows how the celebrity is like inviting the audience with that cup and respecting them, just like how a child respects his/her elderly. 

Secondly, I wanted to show that in the Chinese culture, everyone is very bonded and close. For  the video, i requested three of the celebrities to prepare a table filled with ingredients that are normally used for a steamboat and among them, i asked one to put the hot pot on the table while the other two arranges the dishes. This scene shows how the Chinese work together to prepare the meal and reflects on how everyone are willing to help. It also shows how the three celebrities might be cousins or siblings helping one another and shows how bonded the Chinese are in the eyes of foreigners who are unable to understand Chinese well. 

Thirdly, I wanted to show to the world that traditions are still being pass down after many generations in the Chinese culture. For the video, I asked some of the celebrities to do traditional Chinese arts like doing calligraphy and shadow puppets while singing and some to sing it while saying it in a high pitch voice, just like those Chinese opera singers. From these scenes, they are able to demonstrate how these traditions that are usually used to represent China are still being taught to the younger generation and will continue to pass on the next generation.  

Lesson 3: Other forces that SHAPE culture

So, is the dynastic period the main force that shaped China of today?

Well, the answer is quite simple, no. There are actually 5 main cultural forces and they are Taoism, Confucianism, Ethnicity, Dynasties and Communism. 

After attending the 3rd lesson of CID, i have developed the idea that key milestones of China's history have also served as cultural forces. Many of the things around us are very much influenced by what has happened in the past and the present. The philosophies, the different eras of dynasties, the cultural revolution and the official identified ethnicity among the population in China have indeed changed the fate of China over and over again. 

For the area of philosophies, i have learnt the Taoism and Confucianism are very appealing to the Chinese rulers in the past because people who believed in those beliefs were passive and followed the traditions closely, thus, they had no means of rebelling against their own rulers. People who believed in Taoism were made to believe that natural world exists in perfect order and it is the human activities that disrupt the harmony whereas those who believed in Confucianism were influenced that people with higher status or greater power would be obeyed by those of a lower power so the people living in China then had to listen to the ruler's orders. 

For the cultural revolution, a very important and significant event that happened between 1969 and 1976, it has made me realise that the people of that era were no longer strongly under the influence of philosophies but communism.They no longer believed in beliefs, religions and nothing associated with pre-communist China and this turned into violence between the people and the Chinese rulers then. Something very surprising to me was when i found out that through that 10 years of rebellion, traditional ideas and cultures were never totally destroyed but people were more concerned with capitalism and these saw the increase of wealth and self resurgence of interest in China's traditional and cultures, especially when they could be sold or commoditised. 

The two cultural forces raised are two key milestones that shows the contradiction towards the people's mindsets of different eras as time progresses on. To me, these really shows how China has significantly changed through different events that happened and has truly shaped the China of today.    

Lesson 2: A representation of Singapore

I have decided to choose this picture because it shows some of the local delicacies sold in Singapore. It represents that Singapore is a multiracial country and the cultures here are diverse. To me, such harmony is certainly something the represents Singapore, a little red dot on the atlas. As a Singaporean, i am really proud to be able to meet and communicate with different races in ease with minimum racial tensions.Therefore, i have decided to choose the picture above to help further understand the uniqueness of Singapore.  

Lesson 2: Forces that SHAPE culture

After watching the video on the 2nd CID lesson, i realise that the forces of culture can affect a country. In the context of Singapore, immigrants that work or live here, the mindsets of the immigrants in the pioneer generation, the ethnic groups present here, the religions that are practiced by the people and the population growth are just some of the factors that contribute to the cultural forces that shape Singapore, making Singapore unique and different from other countries. They have played a huge role in creating the present Singapore through the decisions they have made in the past and different customs brought from abroad.  

In my opinion, to make my oelp trip enjoyable and enriching at the same time, being aware of the cultural forces present in China will benefit me in making me better understand the diverse and maybe complicated culture of China. Furthermore, i believe that some of the cultural forces shaping Singapore can be used as questions that i will be having in mind during my oelp trip since Singapore and China have somewhat similar culture and heritage like the immigrants, different groups or classes of people in China. This would allow me to reflect, relate and compare the differences between these two countries, hence improving my assumptions and inferences, making them as accurate as possible, other than correcting my stereotypical mindset towards the culture, heritage, education and economy of China and experience one week worth of fruitful experience there.   

Therefore, i have come to the conclusion that culture is a complex and multi-dimensional topic. What i observe, hear and smell are just the tip of an ice berg of the country and so to further deepen my knowledge pertaining the country, I would have to do more research regarding that country, spend more time living there or even blending in and communication with people living there.

How i spend my holidays last year

Most of my November holiday was spent in Singapore. i just stayed at home, doing my homework and watching videos on my phone while sometimes, i had to go to school to attended CCA training for the upcoming competitions. I would read books that i had at home during my leisure time and go out to nearby shopping malls during the weekends for dinner and shopping.

During my December holidays, i traveled to Cameron Highland, Malaysia's most extended hill station, and got to experience the sixteen degree Celsius there. Since it was cold, i had to wear long sleeved clothes paired with a jacket or a sweater. I managed to visit a strawberry farm where i not only got to see red and green strawberries growing in front of my eyes but also different kinds of plants that can adapt to the cold weather there like cactus which varied in size and colour and succulent plants. Other than the strawberry farm, i also visited the 'BOH Tea'' plantation but it was a pity that i could not watch the process of making tea through the tea leaves, however, i got to consume the desserts sold there and see the breathtaking view from the balcony of the cafe. Dinner provided by the hotel was steamboat and it was really nice since the weather outside was extremely cold. What is a holiday without visiting the local pasar malam there! The aroma of the food wafted in the air as i walked down the stalls with my family members. Although it rained for two out of the four days i stayed in Cameron Highland during the night which affected the experience for the pasar malam, it still was a interesting and fruitful one. On the last day, the last destination was the lavender garden. The fragrance of the lavender was refreshing and the lavender ice cream was susceptible. The scenery was incredible and spectacular as well. 

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Lesson 1: My perspective towards China

I have reflected that I have a stereotypical mindset towards Singaporean and PRC Chinese, thus, I look forward to the oelp trip to clear my doubts towards both groups and in turn, gain deeper understanding and knowledge to both the cultural, education, economy and heritage difference between Singaporeans and PRC Chinese. 

Lesson 1: Self Introduction

Hello. I am Chan Wai Wen from class 2J. My CCA is NCC and I am from Shuqun Primary School. My hobbies are reading books, especially genres like mystery and humour, and listening to songs while doing my homework because it makes me feel calm and slowly relieves my stress from school and other aspects of life as well. I am Singaporean and my favourite food is pizza. I have two siblings, an elder sister and a younger brother so this makes me the middle child. I use more of my left brain than my right brain because I do things systematically and orderly. I feel that I am an introvert and an extrovert at the same time. I look forward to the upcoming oelp trip and bond more with the class so that we can have memories that are worth lasting forever since this is the very last year we are as a class. I hope that I will be able to cope with my studies and competitions that I will be involved in because year 2 life, an important yet hard one, will be very tiring.