School immersion at Shanghai Nanyang High: 4/5
I think the immersion was very interesting as we got to experience a classroom setting in China. The teachers and students were all very nice and welcomed us warmly. When the teachers saw us getting restless during the talk, they gave us biscuits and mineral water. We also learned more about China schools through interactions with our buddies. But during reflection at night, I learnt that they actually rehearsed the lessons beforehand. It was kind of shocking. I thought that the whole lesson was very genuine and that the immediate answers that the students gave when being asked was very impressive. Never did I imagine that it was all practiced. Nevertheless, it was a nice exchange and I hope they will come to Singapore in the future, so we will be able to tell them about Singapore.
Haidilao Hotpot: 3/5
Personally, I think Haidilao is overrated. Firstly, they only explained the origin of their name to one of the tables. Secondly, our seniors told us that they are workers who will stand beside the table and hand you cloths to wipe your spectacles when there is steam on it and they will also pump soap onto your hands and serve you paper towels to wipe your hands dry. I did not see anybody handing out the spectacle cloths and when I went to wash my hands, there was nobody there. However, the food was quite tasty and the seats were very
comfortable. The workers also allowed us to put our bags on a nearby empty table although it could be used to house other customers instead.
Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre: 5/5
The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre is a very interesting place. There are many posters on old and modern Shanghai which are arranged in interesting ways. There is also a very large 3D model of Shanghai. We were even able to see the Shanghai Expo exhibition halls! The whole place was also very clean, which is a plus point.
Qibao Ancient Town 2/5
Qibao Ancient Town in Minhang District is one of Shanghai’s oldest and most famous water towns. It also contains ancient style architecture from the Northern Song Dynasty. This old town is crossed by two water lanes. Around the water lanes, stand a large number of well preserved traditional houses, gardens, temples, shops and restaurants which define the place. The southern part of this old town is filled with traditional restaurants serving various tasty snacks is a paradise for gourmets. Old shops selling art crafts, antiques and calligraphy works occupy the western part. However, there were too many people. The place was very crowded so in order to not get lost, we had to follow the guide tightly behind as we walked through the whole street. As a result, we were not able to shop or look around on our own. Personally, I thought that it was too rush. We should have went on a weekday so there will be less people and we would be able to explore the place.
Tianzifang 5/5.
In tianzifang, the old-style buildings, narrow alleys, and less touristy atmosphere were fascinating. There is more than 200 diverse small businesses such as cafes, bars, restaurants, art galleries, craft stores, design houses and studios, and even French bistros. Most of the shops are still reflective of old Shanghai style while there are also areas with modern facilities, successfully combining both modern and traditional appeal. I feel that the place was very cheery. There was bright colours everywhere and the crafts were handmade so intricately. It was really exciting to look around. However, there is no such places in Singapore. I think Singapore should do more to encourage people to appreciate the arts, like building a place like Tianzifang. I would love to go there.
Bund 4/5
At the Bund,there is a spacious walkway for sightseeing runs atop a long retaining wall on the Bund, paved with colorful tiles and dotted with flower beds and lighting. It is a good place for a leisurely stroll and a view of the Huangpu River. I feel that the Bund fully exhibits the magnificence of the various buildings of different architectural styles. Standing by the railings, we could see the beautiful view of the scenery of Pudong Area and Huangpu River. The trip to the Bund made me realize that it was actually a symbol of both the old and new Shanghai. The unique geography around the Bund and that geography's effect on the economies of Shanghai and China throughout the past one hundred years gives the Bund special cultural significance. There was not much trees so it was very hot but the cool breeze made up for it. The place was windy and it felt very refreshing.
I think the immersion was very interesting as we got to experience a classroom setting in China. The teachers and students were all very nice and welcomed us warmly. When the teachers saw us getting restless during the talk, they gave us biscuits and mineral water. We also learned more about China schools through interactions with our buddies. But during reflection at night, I learnt that they actually rehearsed the lessons beforehand. It was kind of shocking. I thought that the whole lesson was very genuine and that the immediate answers that the students gave when being asked was very impressive. Never did I imagine that it was all practiced. Nevertheless, it was a nice exchange and I hope they will come to Singapore in the future, so we will be able to tell them about Singapore.
Haidilao Hotpot: 3/5
Personally, I think Haidilao is overrated. Firstly, they only explained the origin of their name to one of the tables. Secondly, our seniors told us that they are workers who will stand beside the table and hand you cloths to wipe your spectacles when there is steam on it and they will also pump soap onto your hands and serve you paper towels to wipe your hands dry. I did not see anybody handing out the spectacle cloths and when I went to wash my hands, there was nobody there. However, the food was quite tasty and the seats were very
comfortable. The workers also allowed us to put our bags on a nearby empty table although it could be used to house other customers instead.
Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre: 5/5
The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre is a very interesting place. There are many posters on old and modern Shanghai which are arranged in interesting ways. There is also a very large 3D model of Shanghai. We were even able to see the Shanghai Expo exhibition halls! The whole place was also very clean, which is a plus point.
Qibao Ancient Town 2/5
Qibao Ancient Town in Minhang District is one of Shanghai’s oldest and most famous water towns. It also contains ancient style architecture from the Northern Song Dynasty. This old town is crossed by two water lanes. Around the water lanes, stand a large number of well preserved traditional houses, gardens, temples, shops and restaurants which define the place. The southern part of this old town is filled with traditional restaurants serving various tasty snacks is a paradise for gourmets. Old shops selling art crafts, antiques and calligraphy works occupy the western part. However, there were too many people. The place was very crowded so in order to not get lost, we had to follow the guide tightly behind as we walked through the whole street. As a result, we were not able to shop or look around on our own. Personally, I thought that it was too rush. We should have went on a weekday so there will be less people and we would be able to explore the place.
Tianzifang 5/5.
In tianzifang, the old-style buildings, narrow alleys, and less touristy atmosphere were fascinating. There is more than 200 diverse small businesses such as cafes, bars, restaurants, art galleries, craft stores, design houses and studios, and even French bistros. Most of the shops are still reflective of old Shanghai style while there are also areas with modern facilities, successfully combining both modern and traditional appeal. I feel that the place was very cheery. There was bright colours everywhere and the crafts were handmade so intricately. It was really exciting to look around. However, there is no such places in Singapore. I think Singapore should do more to encourage people to appreciate the arts, like building a place like Tianzifang. I would love to go there.
Bund 4/5
At the Bund,there is a spacious walkway for sightseeing runs atop a long retaining wall on the Bund, paved with colorful tiles and dotted with flower beds and lighting. It is a good place for a leisurely stroll and a view of the Huangpu River. I feel that the Bund fully exhibits the magnificence of the various buildings of different architectural styles. Standing by the railings, we could see the beautiful view of the scenery of Pudong Area and Huangpu River. The trip to the Bund made me realize that it was actually a symbol of both the old and new Shanghai. The unique geography around the Bund and that geography's effect on the economies of Shanghai and China throughout the past one hundred years gives the Bund special cultural significance. There was not much trees so it was very hot but the cool breeze made up for it. The place was windy and it felt very refreshing.
Fudan University has a very big campus and nearly 44,300 students. Unlike NUS, all the students there have to travel around using bicycles or motorbikes. The senior also told us that the toilets in some buildings are just holes for you to do your business in and that it smells. This made me think why don't they upgrade the toilets? I understand they want to preserve the old school campus which is why they do not renovate the school, but just the toilets? Then, students like my senior will not have to avoid going to the toilet and rush to another building just to go to the toilet. The seniors also told us that it was very stressful as competition was tough. The Chinese students are very hardworking and spend every minute of their time studying. They also hold advantage in Chinese and Math. Our seniors have to work doubly hard to keep up. This made me realise that I have to work hard. When I go into the workplace in the future, I will have to compete with a lot of smart people too. If I do not work hard, I will be on the losing end. This visit to Fudan has motivated me to study hard. It was a worthy trip.
Zhejiang University 4/5
I learnt that Zhejiang University was a combine of 4 different universities, thus the very very big campus. I also find the courses in ZJU quite interesting. As it is a school that focuses on design, the students had to work around the school and find out which places can be improved during orientation. It was a brilliant way for students to familiarize themselves with the school as they walked around and they can also use their designing talent. However, applied students have to go through many tough rounds of selection before they will be accepted in to the school. I learnt a lot but personally, I felt that there was a tad too many schools we visited. As we did not get to interact with any students from ZJU, we did not really understand how the life of the students were like and if it was similar to those in Fudan.
SSAW Hotel Boyang hotel 4.5/5
上海柏阳君亭酒店
Classy exterior
Unique lobby
Bookshelf in lobby
Gym at fifth floor
Very dark staircase ( spooky )
Nice hotel rooms, plush
Hangzhou Vina Hotel 4/5
杭州维纳假日酒店
Unique spread for breakfast
Close to the river
Nice rooms
No wifi
Pornographic cards
Well decorated lobby
上有天堂 下有苏航 西湖
Impression West Lake is indeed the reflection of Heaven on the earth. Using water as its stage, mountains as its background,the west lake is indeed a breathtaking place. Featuring local culture of Hangzhou and unique charm of West Lake, the show enables audience to understand Hangzhou culture and history in a natural and vivid way.
清河坊
At qinghefang,we shopped for a lot of stuff.Sze Yi bought a fan that costed $90 dollars there.It is really a comfortable place that we really enjoyed ourselves in.The smell of 臭豆腐 is very strong and the queue to buy it was long.The store holders there are usually old people and it was easy for us to bargain.
雷峰塔
We heard that this 雷峰塔 was rebuilt.There was ally of people queuing up to take the elevator to go to the top.Thats why we chose to climb to the 5-stories 雷峰塔.It wasn't a hard journey but it definitely took us some effort.The scenery viewed from above was really breathing-taking was amazed us.It was really a popular a tourist spot.
岳飞庙
岳飞庙 is really a historical place that made us learn about what happened to yue fei and aroused our interests back to the acienct china.
On the second day of the trip, we went to the shanghai urban planning exhibition hall. Upon reaching the shanghai urban planning exhibition hall, I was truly amazed by the size of the gold monument which welcomed our eyes as we first entered the building. The golden monument showcased the modernized buildings, which towered up to the ceiling high above. We then went to the exhibition, which was a floor above. The centerpiece of the exhibition is a huge scale model of the city of Shanghai, showing all existing and approved buildings. We could view the model from alongside or ascend to a gallery running around it for views from above. The model is intended to represent the entire city, including all planned developments. I feel that this exhibit was quite interesting, and we got to learn a bit about China's history, as well as their development progress. I would rate this a 8/10.
Next we went to the shanghai book city. I was wowed by the 7-storied building which stood before us. You could possibly find every book you wanted, in Chinese of course. I was surprised that there were actually English books on the sixth floor. There were many different types of books, ranging from medical books to law books, to short stories. There were also CDs ranging from Chinese to Kpop, in one of the upper floors. The only drawback is that the building is huge, and that we would have to take time searching for the book we wanted. I would rate this 9/10.
After that we went to nanjing road. It was a street filled with shopping malls and we spotted many well-known brands there. However, the things sold there were not cheap so we could not buy much. I would rate this a 7/10.
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