Day 1: 25/6
As my family sent me off at the airport with well wishes, I was left at the Changi Airport with my classmates and teachers. We boarded the plane and took an approximately five hours flight. It was my first flight to China but I was bored by the long flight and was not expecting the trip to be enjoyable in every way. Our arrival at the Shanghai Pudong Airport was welcomed by an unfamiliar man, our tour guide who picked us up and brought us to the restaurant for our dinner. On our way to the restaurant, our tour guide, 黄导， introduced us the brief history of Shanghai. We tasted several unique Shanghai dishes which did not suited my taste buds as they were too salty or too unfamiliar. We were then brought to the SSAW Hotel which was rather grand and was better than I thought it would be. We were then told to write a letter to our future self on this trip.
Content of the letter:
Dear me,
I hope the trip was not too boring for me. I would like myself to be able to answer these questions which I have always been curious about after this trip:
-China seem so prosperous. Why is its currency smaller than it should be?
-What is the pace of living in China?
I hope that I had enjoyed this trip and brought many meaningful memories back to Singapore.
Your past self,
Yi Ki
The informative 黄导游 also left me a deep impression with the origin of the other name of Shanghai, 申 (Shen) which was found on car plates of Shanghai's vehicles. The name could be traced back to 战国时期 where 楚国申君黄歇 was in charge of this city, it was name Shen due to this man. I was surprised by the long history that Shanghai have, unlike Singapore's short history. From the old fishing town of Shanghai, it have developed to such a prosperous city. It reminds of the old fishing village, Temasek, which is the current Singapore. I was rather surprised that Shanghai have a similar history of being once a fishing village. Overall, today was informative for me since I gained much more knowledge from our tour guide and tasted unfamiliar dishes which would have never tried.
Day 2: 26/6
Today started with a long bus ride to the Lujiazui Finance and Trade zone (陆家嘴金融区) where we toured the area in the bus starting with the most significant landmark there, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower as the highlight of the area. The tower is surrounded by Yangpu Bridge and Nanpu Bridge which creates a scenery of “双龙戏珠” ( 'twin dragons(the bridges) playing with pearls(oriental pearl TV tower) ). It is 468m tall and I could hardly see the top.
After a brief introduction of surrounding building, we proceeded to The City God Temple (城隍庙） which is located within the old walled city. People visits this temple to pray for good fortune and peace. We were walking by ourselves in the temple. As a Buddhist and Taoist, I prayed and toured around the area and nothing was exceptionally interesting there. Afterwards, we left through the side exit which led to a shopping area surrounded by Yuyuan Garden(豫园）, the temple and the Old Shanghai Street(上海老街）. While walking around this area, I hear an old song being played repeatedly. Hence, I questioned the stall older about it and she said that it was a song called 上海滩 which means Shanghai. I think it is quite meaningful to play a song which represents a city.
Our journey then continued with the Shanghai Book City which was practically a seven-storey book store. We were encouraged to buy Chinese book but nothing really interests me. Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street was our next destination. It is not only the main shopping streets in Shanghai, but also one of the world's busiest shopping streets! However due to fatigue, I could hardly walk and of course, shopping was out of topic. How I wish I was in the hotel sleeping. Last but not least, our last stop of the day is French concession and Bund. The picturesque Bund is definitely worth a visit. Unfortunately, we were unable to have a look at it nocturnal scene which was said to be much better than the day's scene. I could not take my eyes off French concession as well as it seem so "Europe looking". I remembered someone commented that when she look at the Bund, it feels like the she in the prosperous China city but when she turn around to look at the French Concession, it feels like she is in French. Well, I feel similarly too, as if the Bund represents the East; French Concession represents the West.
After another meal, we ended our day. During our journey, I notice that beggars are common and I presume that this is due to the high cost of living in Shanghai, as mentioned by the tour guide. Despite the fact that there are many with high income, people who live in poverty still exist. I can conclude that Chinese have huge income gap, with people living way below the poverty line and vice-versa. Overall, it have been an eye opener for me. However, I am so
tired that I would sleep the whole day tomorrow if I could.
Day 3: 27/5
Basically, we experienced the heavily congested traffic of Shanghai on our way to Shanghai Nanyang High School which resulted in our late arrival in the school. I would say that the hosting teacher, Mr Lu, was really patient to wait for us and was nice to welcome us warmly. After an introductory talk by the school's vice principal, a physics teacher came to conduct a short lesson about using a piece of A4 paper to build the tallest tower without the use of tape and glue. The lesson end with example of ways to build tall and sturdy paper towers. Our buddies who rushed down during their break to meet us earlier on came once again. We were supposed to make a 香包(fragrant pack) but due to the chaos, I followed my buddy to tour the school before leaving the school. Through observations and questions, I realised that the student were supposed to eat in class and allowed to enter the stuff room which is totally different from our school.
Haidilao which was supposed to be the highlight of the day ended up as great disappointment. Food was barely sufficient despite the amazing service. I was surprised that a stuff would turn the tap on and off for me, put hand soap on my palm and give warm towel to me just to wash my hands.
Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall was under tight security due to the conference taking place these few days. There were awesome models of the city of Shanghai that impressed me.
Shanghai Wenmiao street was our next destination where we walked the whole street till a certain point and turn back and board the bus. I do observe that there was a rubbish dump which smells as though it have not been cleared for a few days and the residents there lived in rundown houses with shared areas but I do not think that the residents live in extreme poverty since many of them posses hand phones and other gadgets.
Last but not least, after our dinner, we were welcomed with endless reprimands and discussions. Honestly, I just want to sleep. As a early sleeper, staying up late just to be scolded and conduct discussion is making me sick. Even my parents who tried to contact me had to stay up later than usual. I am starting to dislike this trip.
Day 4: 28/5
Second and last day at Shanghai Nanyang High School, we witnessed the morning exercise and the students' orderly way of jogging to the parade square. With force, interest and embarrassment, I joined the morning exercise with the class. I guess we were like a bunch of monkeys trying to fit it. We then sung '立化情' as a class before splitting into groups to attend different classes. I attended the English class and realised that the difficulty level of the lesson was average, similar to our current standard. The students were honest and responded fast to the teacher with some exceptions. For instance, when a student is called, he would stand up straight immediately and if he is unsure of the answer, he would be honest and admit that he does not know the answer. It was a rare opportunity to observe a foreign class having a lesson.
Thanks to Mr Lu, my class got the opportunity to visit the Oriental Dreamworks company! We observed the different types of work animators do and was able to see the process of making animations. It is certainly an unexpected and rare opportunity.
Lunch was followed by a visit to Fudan University, where a few of our seniors study. Guided by enthusiastic seniors, we were brought around the campus. As the introduction and meeting comes to an end, our senior reminded us to study hard as she send us off.
In my opinion, today is the most meaningful day among the other days. I got to visit a foreign school which made me review in my studies, an animation company showed me the origin of my favorite animation films and a capable senior gives study tips. I am probably crazy but I found passion to study out of nowhere.
Day 5: 29/5
“上有天堂，下有苏杭”
This means there is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. It was said that the heavenly scenery is comparable to the heaven. And hence, our day started with a 3 hours' bus ride to Hangzhou. I observe many crop fields, possibly rice fields and thought that farming in China is still very important, for both their own consumption and exportation.
We reached and had our long awaited lunch before proceeding to the prestigious institute of higher education, Zhejiang University. A brief introduction of its 国际设计研究院 is followed by a bus tour around the large campus.
Qing Hefang Ancient Street was our next stop. It is a well preserved part of an ancient city which have been developed into a shopping district. We were then dismissed for shopping before dinner where the tour guide was replaced. Lastly, we went to the Hangzhou Vina Hotel which had poorer facilities. It's wifi is only available at the lobby and there are people who left prostitution cards at the door of the hotel rooms. This left be a poor impression of a Hangzhou.
Day 6: 30/5
Yue Fei Mausoleum （岳王庙）was our first stop. I was looking forward to visiting this place since I like historical stories such as 《三国演义》. And Yue Fei was an important general in the history who have stories told till today. This temple was built in honour of Yue Fei, the famous general of the Southern Song dynasty. It's history could be traced back to the year 1221. With rich history and great significance behind every statues and words, this place is truly worth a visit. I really enjoyed the time spent here.
Next, we headed to the must-go freshwater lake Westlake (西湖）which was famous for its natural beauty as well as the it historical relics. As one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, it have influenced many poets and artists throughout history. We were also able to ride a ferry around it and observe it close-up as we learn about the brief history of West Lake and it's ten sceneries: 平湖秋月、苏堤春晓、断桥残雪、雷峰夕照、南展晚钟、麯院风荷、花港观鱼、柳浪闻莺、三漳印月
Lei Feng Pagoda（杭州雷峰塔）collapsed years ago. A new pagoda was then built on top of the ruins. The octagonal, five-storey brick and wood structure is famous for the story 《白蛇传》("The Legend of the White Snake") where one of the characters, 白娘子 was rumored to be trap under this pagoda. The trip there was an enriching journey where I learnt briefly about "The Legend of the White Snake" through the words and pictures on the wall. A highlight is the scenery from the top level, you would be able to have a magnificent view of the area.
The highlight of the day is most probably '西湖之夜', a stunning and impressive musical and acrobatics show. It was indescribable, it have six scenes: '岳王雄风', '南宋盛景', '梁祝情缘', '东方佛光', '风雅西湖' and a finale where 4 bikers rode into a large spherical cage at full speed, circling 360 degrees with dangerously high risks of crashing.
I enjoyed today's journey since I liked 三国 stories and stage performances. It was memorable to spend my birthday at places that I like.
Day 7: 31/5
转眼间，我们的中国旅已来到了尾声。In the blink of an eye, our OELP trip is coming to an end. It is the last day in China. We walk through the scenic 七宝古镇 briefly and was only able to snap a few shots of photos.
Soon, we were at Shanghai TianZiFang. Being the arts and craft enclave, it is described as "a cosy little lane district".
In my opinion, it is indeed cosy and I really like the interesting and creative businesses. As a result, I ended up shopping and buying lots of things. One of the shop which left a deep impression was a tiny shop with only a window and a door. It sells cupcakes that were so nice that I cannot forget its tastes, such rich flavours and sponge like soft cake accompanied by creamy texture, it is worth the price. I think it is also creative and money-saving to own a small shop which sells marvelous cupcakes. In addition, Shanghai TianZiFang was a unique Shikumen architect. This means that TianZiFang was made with a traditional Shanghainese architecture style which is distinguished by high brick walls enclosing a narrow front yard.
Through this trip I learnt a lot more about China. For instance, the interesting stories and sayings behind some words or places. I feel that it is a rare opportunity for me to travel. Overall, I enjoyed this trip and feel that most of the time spent was meaningful. Even though there were times that I was bored or regretted this trip, I feel that this trip was experiential and fun. I am glad I came for this trip.
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