School life in China

The 德智体群美 aspect in Chinese education as observed from the school exchange in Shanghai.

Biology practical- Reflection

On 7 July 2017, we had our first hands-on practical. It is also the first time in a very long time that I had to turn on a Bunsen burner by myself. I actually had no idea the proper way to turn on a Bunsen burner and was very afraid of burning my finger if I as much as touched the sieve after the burner was lighted. This practice taught me the proper procedure; light the fire after the gas is turned on, then make sure the air hole is open. It would no longer burn if the burner was properly prepared. 

One other thing I found out when I was doing the experiment was that I became very flustered when I had to observe and write down the experiment, keep track of which test tube was which and at the same time, still follow the instructions about timing etc. However, I learnt a method that helped me track test tubes: to get test tubes with chemicals ready first, then place them in the test tube rack in the order of which the original bottle of chemicals were placed (on the table from left to right: Glucose solution, Egg Albumin solution, Starch suspension, Oil) so that at least I had a reference if I get confused. 

I actually did not expect the practical to be 'timed' with countdowns . As much as I found it stressful at first, it helped me complete my task timely because I’m someone who is slow and takes time to process and do work. A timed experiment helped me keep track of time and figure out if I was too slow or unsure at certain parts, as well as forced me to do the experiment in a way that made the most of my time (read practical while waiting for water to boil). 

The last takeaway was that teamwork is very important in practicals like this. Even though we have always been taking goggles together as a whole class, only this practical did we find out that it would be more efficient for us to take, not only goggles, but everything needed for practical for the whole bench or the pair, work together to help prepare and collect/keep things so that we save time and energy. This is important as our practicals are sometimes very time-tight. Through increased teamwork, we can increase efficiency, get the experiment done and have time to learn the materials. 

To Keep or Not To Keep? Preserving vs Modernisation

The house at Oxley Road. To keep or to demolish? 

Hi, in one of our recent CID lesson, we discussed preservation versus modernisation. While preservation of a heritage site is vital to the preservation of our culture and also attracts tourism and gives a unique feature to the history and culture, tensions between modernisation and preservation have been rising with different parties taking different stands. To decide whether or not to keep, different viewpoints must be taken into account. 

Former prime minster Lee Kuan Yew's house is one example. Upon his passing, Mr LKY's will and testimony was activated. In his will, he states that the house was to be demolished upon his death if his children (mainly his daughter) was to move out. However, there has been great debacle on what to do with the house. These are some of the viewpoints that create so many different opinions. 

LKY's family: To demolish. In order to respect their late patriarch, the family of LKY (or Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong) would choose of respect his wishes and prevent people invading their privacy. However, as people who grew up in the family home, not all the family would want to demolish a place where memories were formed.  

National Heritage Board and Tourism Board: To keep. The house is rich with history and heritage (PAP was formed there). Keeping the house means keeping the history and this can attract tourism. Tourism can also be used to make money. 

Singaporean adults: Maybe some would demolish, some would preserve. To demolish means to respect his last wishes. Mr LKY has already given his all to Singapore, so many people would choose to respect his last wishes as a sign of respect. However, knowing the house is full of heritage and history, some adults would also choose to keep the heritage as it would be a shame to demolish such a significant house. 

Personally, my stand is to keep the house. Although Mr LKY's house could be written down in history books or displayed as a mini model in a museum, without the house there, the ambience of the site is lost. The younger generation would not be able to fully appreciate the site where hard work and crucial cornerstones of nation building took place. Keeping the house means students can visit as an educational trip and preserving the physical roots of our nation's beginning. 

Sometimes preservation is good. However, in modern times like these, is it truly possible to keep everything in top-notch standards without upgrading or reconstruction? Would we sometimes need to add modern prospects in? Preserving a heritage site means tourists would start visiting. Carparks are added, toilets are added, water coolers are added. Modernisation need to take place in this case, in order to cater to the consequences of preservation. Would this, then, take away the former ambience, or the authenticity of the heritage site? 

Education: The Big Picture

Hey! We are finally done with economics!

In this blog post, we would be taking a look at China's education system.

Education is key to the society as it prepares children to enter in world of tomorrow, not only because many prestigious and high-paying jobs are reserved for the well-educated, but also because through interacting with other children while thinking deeply and develop team players and leadership. Also, education (i.e. Schooling) can keep children off the streets and educate them on right and wrong things to do. Therefore, education in important.

We first ask ourselves, what is learning? Is it blindly memorising facts from a textbook? Is it doing hours of papers and homework? Well, to me, learning means gaining knowledge. It's more than the simple 'know your facts' and rushing through homework. Learning means to be able to be able to solve and understand and to undertstand strangths and weakneses. We learn because we want to broaden our perspective, and not only in the academic areas. Who says playing a piano is not learning? Who says playing tennis is not learning? Who says leadership camps, initiative programmes, VIA projects are not learning? When we can apply what we've learnt into ur daily life and problem-solve successfully, we can safely say that we have learnt.

What then, makes a holistic learning in school? Well, a well-balanced, holistic learning for the (21st) century would be holistic learning. And not only in academics, because that would not be sufficient to prepare learners for the furture. 60% of the jobs 10 years from noe have not even been invented yet! Academical knowledge we pass down today may be meaningless in the future, but life skills like leadership, logical thinking, problem-solving will play a vital role throughout a person's life, regardless of day and age.

In China, due to the one-child policy, immense pressure is placed on the singleton. Academic results are extremely emphasised in, with high-stakes tests like the gaokao, which takes many teenager's lives every year. These tests are a one-shot attempt at getting a good future. As a result, many Chinese believe that if you are unable to get into a good university (because of poor results from the exam), your good future might as well be gone for good. That is why parents, afraid of the child not being able to do well in the future to support themselves and their parents, push their child to the extreme in order to study well. My cousin in China is taking her gaokao next year, and even with a whole year of schooling left before the exam, she has to attend school almost 7 days a week, with only the occasional Sunday break. Her school ends around 8.30 or 9 at night, where she would be in school doing her zixi in the supervising eye of her teacher. Another cousin just took his last year. I remembered that I was in China then, and the whole family was panicking. Even the extended family (my uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, my parents) were panicking because he did not look like he was going to do well. My grandmother, an old lady into her 80s, insisted she walk all the way to my cousin's house to help him with his studies.

At various hotels around the city, students flock in to book hotel rooms to study in about a week before their exams. Billboard-like words flash across the entrance, reminding residents around the vicinity as well as those passing to keep their volume down. "Gaokao students currently staying in the hotels, please keep noise and honking down".

The whole China would be making up a fuss about the gaokao and Chinese social media and news platforms would be reporting news every day of the exam. "In XXX province, it has been revealed that the topic is XXX" "XXX is a previous gaokao scholar and her notes are up for sale!"

But are the gaokaos really fair? Well, each province is given different topics basedon their education levels in provinces. Universities enroll students in different provinces different cut-off points. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou students have an edge above students of other cities because they are given privilege to universities in that region (especially since universities there are the best few). Those that do not do so well but with Guanxi are able to get in.

While there may be certain problems regarding the system, it does not look like ut is chnaging soon. But as we ask ourselves, are the students really receiving what we call a 'holistic education'?

Business Insider

Economics Pt5: Factory to the World

Last part of economics, yeah!

In the previous CID lessons regarding Economics, we discussed the importance of establishing good relations, cost of living and population crisis in Singapore. In this last part of the module, we will be talking about what has made China the factory of the world and the title's consequences.

Have you seen the logo 'Made in China' on your belonging before? I'm sure you have. In fact, I bet there is at least one object made in China in the very room you are in. This has earned China the title, the factory to the world. But one may be wondering, why is 'everything made in China'?

Well, if we stand in the shoes of a businessman, whose only aim is to make more money, what factors would you look out for to fulfil that criteria? Just to name a few: Availability of local markets, Easy access to local markets, Price of land, Currency strength, et cetera. Remember touching on industrial parks in Economics Pt2.? Well, they are almost the same! And these, not surprisingly, all occur in China's lands. So let's briefly go through some.

Easily accessible resources: China has a wealth of resources, not only natural ones but also in manpower. With lakes and rivers, mountains and great spans of land, China is where resources are plenty. Not to mention, China is the most populated country in the world, so plenty of manpower! With a great supply, costs will then be cheap. Cheap materials, cheap labour; companies flock to these places in hopes of profiting more. In other words, China had the capacity to industrialise, much more than other countries. 

Currency strength: China's currency has been increasing in strength throughout the years, but compared to countries like the US and UK, it is still considered weak. How does that help economy? Well, what happens when a shop goes on a 50% discount? More people purchase! It is the same theory behind a weaker currency. With lower prices, companies get an edge on those who do not have the same advantage. They are practically giving a 'discount' to consumers, and more would buy because of its lower price. As a result, exports are stronger. 

Lesser compliance: Compared to the West, China do not implement many basic guidelines in regards to business, due to varying reasons. Because of that, companies do not have to worry about being fined because they are not meeting certain guidelines, so they may not even implement these guidelines. Also, with fewer compliances, factories may be able to reach their full potential as money-making machines, as companies may not need to spend extra money cleaning polluted air or water, and they do not need to control how much they can produce so that they can meet the guidelines. Companies are essentially importing their problems into China, and exporting cheap goods out. They do not need to care about the consequences of their actions as long as the problems do not affect their own countries. Human nature. In China, they can do what they cannot in the West, and that leads us to our problem.

Becuase of lack/fewer laws implemented to protect the environment, companies cut down on doing so. For example, while companies cleaned polluted water before discharging into water bodies in the West in fear of being at the receiving end of environmental laws, companies in China can do however they wish. This could be why 16 of the top 20 most polluted countries the world are in China. Environmental problems like serious smog can lead to lung diseases and illnesses, ingestion of polluted water can lead to bacteria getting into the body. Poor environment leads to poor health, and while the economy is booming, health problems can become a setback as the government may need to pour more money into health services and treatment. 

There is a dilemma now: The blind pursuit of economic growth or protection of our environment?

Beijing, 4/5/17, Thursday

Economics Pt4: One Child Policy

Hi! In one of our CID lessons, we discussed birth rates, more specifically, the one child policy and how it affected and continues to affect China. And not only is birth rates related to the economy, population is an important aspect in the consideration of nation building and planning. Policies have been put in place to control birth rates, but the effects on the economy may deviate from the plan's original purpose and the outcomes are complex. In this lesson, a comparative study was pulled out to see the effects of China's one-child policy affects and Singapore's own two-child policy.

In the 1970s, China's population grew enormously, which lea to a multitude of problems in regards to general health, economical and environental problems, as well as increasing demands for water and other resources. China's one-child policy was introduced in 1979 in efforts to curb the rapidly rising population as well as the problems it brought along. The scheme worked, and population decreased. Previously stated problems decreased, woemn could now lead a better life now that they were the only child, healthcare improved.

From statistics, things looked rosy, but 30 years down the road, problems have already began to arise. China is now facing an ageing population.

And that brings us to the new problem: Ageing population. It occurs when the aged is taking up a larger portion of the society. And while China is not the country with the worst problem in an ageing population (Japan is!), it is above the world average (W.A. : 11.7% China: 13.9%). An ageing populatin may cause many problems. For example: An ageing population puts a lot of pressure on the working class. Because the elderly are old, they are more prone to injuries, and therefore need healthcare. The working class then needs to pay taxes, but with a larger population of the aged to support, higher taxes are enforced, and this puts greater financial pressure on the working class. This could be the consequence of the one-child policy. There are families in China with up to 4 generations of members, yet with only a single 4th generation child. What about economically? With increased aged groups to support, working class may not be able to sucessfully support! GDP many go down as a result, and that would be bad for the country! 

Potential social problems can be another negative consequence of the one-child policy. With only a single child, parents would be more likely to pamper their child and give him/her their best. They are given the best, with no need to share and are treated like the treasures of the whole family (掌上明珠) However, when they step into the society, where things are no longer always for and given to them, these 'little-emperors' would find it hard to get used to the fact that the world do not revolve around them. These singletons will end up not being team-players, selfish et cetera. 

Another problem would be the stress on the single child. Remember cultural forces? Confucianism calls for children to express fillial piety to their parents, so parents give their children their all, hoping that one day their will suceed in life and give them a good life in return. Therefore, families pin all their hopes and dreams on their children, especially in their studies, where most Chinese believed that you needed to succeed in for you to be accomplished in life. With tuition, assessment papers, assessment books, school 6 or 7 days a week until late in the evening (自习) for older students, education puts a lot of pressure on their everyday lives. And what if they are unable to cope? Suicide in the leading killer amongst children aged 15-34, and numbers have been increasing. Expectations from family coupled with the 'cutthroat school system', as put by the Wall Street Journal, may cause students to take their own life as an escape from reality if they are not given enough support. And that was just students. What about working/jobless adults who are unable to support their parents? Who will these elderly people, who have placed their all into their own child, turn to?

Back home, Singapore has once implemented a similar policy in 1972: The two-child policy, where the government only allowed 2 child per family. It might seem surreal now, what with our ageing population, but back then, it was probably required. With 7-8 children per family, the GDP per capita was also affected as a result, however, with the policy, there can be a controllable population size so that the economy can catch up to the population growth.

Although both bans have been lifted as of today (SG: lifted CHN: 2-child policy) population growth has been unable to bounce back to the 7-8 child per family growth. 

The government comes up with policies for the betterment of society, but sometimes, these policies have short-term gains but long-term consequences, just like the one-child policy. The purpose of the one-child policy was to improve the Chinese eonomy. Now, because of the one-child policy, the economical situation is declining. 

Ironic, isn't it?

UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs Data

Pre-trip Task- Economy: The cost of living

There was some mix-up regarding the blog posts, so there are quite a few blog posts this month.

Hi! In preparation for our imminent comparative trip to China, this is a pre-trip task in relation to some aspects of economy in 

Singapore.

	Description	Cost
	Cost of a standard 4/5 room HDB flat (around 90-100sqm) in Punggol	around S$400,000
	Current cost of Toyota Vios	around S$100,000
Supermarket	Cheapest $10 rice	around $3-$4
Supermarket	Cheapest 1 litre of drinking mineral/ distilled water	around $1
Supermarket	Provision and usage of plastic bags	Plastic bags are provided at supermarkets mostly for free, and shoppers use them a lot if they do not bring their own reusable bags, especially when different foods cannot be placed together.
Supermarket	Who the cashiers are and what services they provide	Many cashiers at nearby supermarkets look Chinese, with some Malay and Indian ones too. Most look in their middle ages, around 40-55.
Supermarket	Cheapest 1 litre of cooking oil	around $2.50
	School fee	$28 (government-funded)
	1 litre of petrol	$2.10 (changes over time: not set)
	1 movie ticket on a weekend	$9-$13 (depending on time of purchase)
	Average salary of Singaporean	around $40000
	Unit price of water and electricity in Singapore	water: $1.17 (first 0-40m3) electricity: $0.20/kWh

Note: There is something wrong with the table, so please highlight the dark part to see the words.

Economics Pt3: Standard of Living

In our recent CID class, we did a study on the standard of living. Although it is impossible to fully measure the standard of living objectively because of a large number of factors, we look at certain components that make up the standard of living to gain some understanding on this topic.

Before we continue, it is necessary to ask ourselves what standard of living is. Is it simply the GDP per capita? Or how rich we are, how much we can afford? Well, that's only a part of what makes up the standard of living. The standard of living is defined by the amount of comfort, wealth, material goods, and necessities in a certain country or class. A few factors that contribute to that would be the availability of employment, GDP, accessibility and standard of education and healthcare, political and economic security and freedom, and even leisure time. Therefore, the standard of living and the cost of living would differ! Standard of living essentially refers to the quality of living, while the cost of living actually refers to the price of living, or to sort of 'survive' in a particular country. What do we need to 'sacrifice' to maintain/produce the country's living? For example, if we want air-conditioning, the cost of that would be the pollution! In this case, we 'sacrifice' unpolluted air for the cooling comfort. What, therefore, is the comparison of the standards between Singapore and China? Sure, Singapore has a high GDP per capita, but do we have enough leisure time? Or do we school, work overtime, leaving virtually nothing for family or friends? Do we even know what relaxation time is anymore? 

The high cost of living evokes worry. For example, many Singaporeans are worried about the fact that their pay is not rising in tune with the increasing housing prices. Stress to earn more can lead to less family time and more time at work. If one is unable to purchase a flat because of financial difficulties, yet do not want to accept the help of the government, many turn to the streets for 'shelter'. Many other examples can support that. Economic stress can lead to social issues, be it personally or the society in general. 

In a recent EIU survey, it is reported that Singapore was the most expensive country to live in the world. At first, I was really surprised, because Singapore's food and transport fees are of a relatively low price compared to many of the developed countries in the world. Then, we learnt that this survey was targetted at companies who send employees overseas to work so that they know how to give their salary based on the standard of living. Therefore, this actually does not apply to the regular Singapore, who may eat their meals cheaply at hawker centres and take public transport. Singaporeans do not even spend as much as what the survey seems to suggest. 

An important takeaway from that lesson was to determine the purpose of a survey, or article before we start of assume things. Take another example: The Big Mac index, or, the cost of big macs in different parts of the world. 

Now, things look different. 

Singapore's purchasing power isn't that high after all. This survey takes into account more of the local pricings and spendings rather than spending that of the richer foreigners in the country. This shows something more relevant. We may be an expensive country to dispatch people in, but what locals spend is far from that. 

Therefore, when reading things online, we need to be more discerning and think about what the purpose of something is. Singapore is the most expensive country to live in? Nah. It's just expensive for companies. 

Internet literacy is essential, especially in the age and era when everything seems to be online. Absurd information we can discern easily, but half-truths are concealed well, and sometimes, we blindly take in other's opinions without giving a second thought. What is relevant to us and what is not? If we cannot properly discern that, do we actually know what, then, we are reading? 

The 'C' Word: E and C Week

Hello!

On the last week of Term 1, we had a Wayang Kulit workshop and a 3-day trip to Little India, Kampong Glam and Aljunied Madrasah. I was really excited for both the trip and the workshop, as I've never tried making shadow puppets or been to Little India and the Madrasa. Even going to Kampong Glam, which I have been to many times, was very exciting because this marks the first time I would be going on a (relatively) unguided trip!

On the first day of the week, we had the Wayang Kulit workshop. I did not really know what to expect, but I'll be frank: I was pretty disappointed at our allocation. We were already doing Chinese shadow puppetry in RV Literature, and I really wanted to learn something new like Indian Music. I mean, how different can puppetry get?

Well, I wasn't wrong. The basic elements of puppetry were still there. However, there was something that set Wayang Kulit apart from 皮影戏, and that was the difference in folklore! Before this, I've never known any Malay folklore, so this workshop was certainly and eye-opener and it got me interested in traditional Malay culture. Remember the 4 basic cultural forces? Food, Festive, Fashion and Folk? Well, these folklores are stories that shape culture. Retelling and passing of stories along people with common understanding would eventually develop their unique culture. And it got me thinking: no matter how similar practices between cultures may seem, each is made unique by a small yet significant aspect. 

On the second day, we visited Little India. Having never been there before, I was entirely unfamiliar with the area. Also, because I went to mainly-chines primary and secondary school, I do not have friends of another race, so I was mostly ignorant of many Indian customs. Therefore, when we got to personally interview shop owners and stall holders, I really got a first-hand understanding of the 4 cultural forces. For example, upon arriving at Tekka Market, we managed to interview an Indian lady on the second floor on the clothes she sells. Before this, I never knew North and South India had any difference in culture (actually, I didn't even take into consideration different parts of India; I just thought of India as a whole!), but they actually have variants in fashion! It was really fascinating to see even a single country can be different culturally depending on their region. Imagine, however, if one do not understand and assumes their culture is the same throughout the country and moves there. They might offend someone due to their ignorance. How taxing it would be to adapt! Singapore is small, and therefore, we do not face the same problems in cultural understanding.

Of course, we got to try the Indian food there, and it was delicious! The Indian desserts were great, but one thing that we took note of was the extremely honey-sweet taste they had, as well as a hint of spice. It gave the dessert a nice kick. I was surprised, that even in sweet treats such as Motichor Ladoo, spice was apparent. The Indians sure love their spice! 

We visited Kampong Glam on the second and third day. On the second day, we mainly roamed around in our groups, exploring and finding out first-hand how Kampong Glam was like. It worthy to note that in both Kampong Glam and Little India, although known to many as a Malay and Indian mainly district, this is not really the case! Take Little India for example. Just like any neighbourhood, there were HDBs around, and Tekka Market even had stalls selling Chinese and Malay cuisine. It may have once been an Indian-only district and is still where Indian culture is most vibrant but it has long evolved to opening its doors to people of other races, either to live there or to just visit and learn a little about their culture. 

At Kampong Glam, we took photos of textiles and much more. We interviewed stall holders on the Halal cuisine that was common in that area and snapped photos before tucking into our meals. Before, I never really had much Malay food before, but through this experience, I think I would be willing to try more Malay cuisine, like the different dishes of Nasi Padang. However, upon returning to the trip, we found out from another group that when they tried to interview another stall holder, he became angry at them, so they politely thanked him and moved on. From this experience, I realised that maybe not all of the are comfortable talking about their Art, and we should respect their feelings by quickly leaving after an apology. 

On the third day, we went to the Sultan Mosque and Aljunied Madrasah. In the mosque, we were explained to about the basics of mosque etiquette. This included taking off of shoes when entering, avoiding wearing revealing clothes, and the cleansing ritual before prayer. A fact that we learnt there was that the mosque is actually built to face Mecca, Islam's holiest city, and even when praying anywhere, they had to face in that direction.

I was really really excited about the Madrasah as I have never been to any other schools for an exchange before. Apparently, there are only 6 Madrasahs in Singapore currently, offering education from primary all the way to tertiary! It was fascinating to see another school, different from the regular, non-religious schools, in action. In a way, it sort of reminded me was RV, only that it was religious, had more subjects, and shorter CCA times. They had CCAs such as rock climbing, archery, Tarannum, and many more, just correspond to their Islamic Arts and Cultures. The students there gave us a brief introduction on their school life, where they would have breaks for prayers, student councils, and the juggling of easily 13-14 subjects. That really made me think, that if they could do so many subjects all at once, then we, with a measly 6 subjects compared to them, should be doing ours without complaint. 

Unknowledgeable as it may seem, I was not even aware of the existence of Madrasahs. Sure, I knew that these schools exist, but I never knew what they were called, what they taught, or even seen one. So to be able to enter one was simply mind-blowing, and our short but fruitful tour of the school was really a sight worth noting. They were just like us, sitting in classrooms and trying to juggle their subjects, having CCAs after school and physical education. Just like us, they face problems in their teenage lives.  

Sadly, there wasn't nearly enough time for any of the three days, and I felt that the time could be extended slightly longer. However, this week of E and C really taught us the importance of knowing different cultures, and not just our culture, especially in a country like Singapore, which can only run smoothly with the peaceful co-existence of each race. If we only keep to our culture and are unwilling to reach out to others, things like the 1964 riots in Singapore would occur. Misunderstanding from ignorance breeds fear, which eventually lead to contempt. Only through understanding different culture can lead us to acceptance. 

This learning journey was simply a door of opportunity to experiencing a different culture. However, it is really our choice to push open the door and step through to another experience. 

Economy Pt2: Friends or Foe? Win-win Partnership

Hey!

Remember discussing Singapore's fragile economy in the last blog post? And how we cannot be complacent and need to understand Singapore's position in the world in order to stay relevant to the big countries?

Well, this week, we explore the approach taken up by the government to keep Singapore relevant. And a prime example of that would be one of the Singapore-China collaboration projects, the well-known Suzhou Industrial Park.

Pause for a moment and we ask ourselves: What is an industrial park anyway? What conditions must it fulfil to classify it as an industrial park?

Well, industrial parks do not, contrary to popular belief, need to be very large. Rather, what truly makes an industrial park is the accessibility to resources and equipment. For example, access to labs, access to 24/7 electricity, access to water. Without these, a factory cannot run, and companies lose money. 

Going back to Suzhou Industrial Park, we ask ourselves if we can, and/or should, continue to share our development knowledge with other countries.

To answer this question, we need to look into the events that took place when the countries began the project years ago. 

In 1994, it seemed like a great idea when Singapore made a deal with China to build a giant $30 billion industrial in Suzhou. However, the project did not go as planned. 5 years into the project and the venture was heavily in debt. It turns out, local officers began a rival competition, Suzhou New District industrial park, and were using Singapore's park to get investors in and telling investors to 'come to my park, it's cheaper'. As a result, Singapore lost $90 million in just 5 years. Singapore had to sign a memorandum to transfer control from Singapore to China. 

Singapore, wanting to do business with China and make money together, ended by being short-changed and undercut. This strained close ties between Singapore and China. Singapore wanted to transfer their management skills to the Chinese bureaucrats, yet failed and learnt an expensive lesson on how to conduct business with China. Why was that so?

We need to look back to the topics discussed a while ago: Cultural forces. 

Just a quick refresh: The 4 leading principals in China are: Relationship, Face, Favour and Rank. While still practised in Singapore, it takes on a whole new level in China. In Singapore, it is more of 法，理，情,   while in China, it's really, as a whole, the opposite: 情，理，法

Strange, how cultural forces can even affect politics and business. But that's the reality of it all. Our methods are too different, and we failed to take into account how our methods would not work the same way for another country. While we take laws as if they were set in stone, that is not the case for China, who put 'who do you know?' as the highest regard. We were unable to persuade the Suzhou officers (perhaps we did not exude our guanxi enough while doing business)(perhaps we did not make use of favours enough)(perhaps we did not try to use ranks in our favour). We failed to understand different business cultures in China, and things, therefore, turned out sour for Singapore. Suzhou Industrial Park failure further reiterates how important understanding cultures before doing something in a different environment truly is.

Therefore, I feel that Singapore should continue sharing our experiences and knowledge with other countries, but with CONDITIONS attached! Maybe charging them for using Singapore's ideas? At least that would stop incidents such as the modelling of Suzhou New District after the Suzhou Industrial Park, which was originally modelled after Singapore from happening again! Singapore can share ideas and at the same time, protect their ideas from being used against them.

The Economy Pt.1

Hello!

Today is our first session about the economy. We drew out some differences between China's and Singapore's economy and Singapore's success in undergoing such rapid economic growth.

We began our discussion by going through some of the facts of our economy. For example: What does Singapore export? Well, we do export quite plenty of goods, and some examples are refined oil, organic materials, medical and technical equipment and aircraft parts. Most of these are high-end goods that bring in a lot of money so that the country can still profit despite spending a lot of money on importing.

It is no secret that Singapore's economic miracle has caused Singapore to go from a third-world country to a first-world one. Not many countries have been through this process in a single generation, from a country with high rates of unemployment, poverty and one-third of its population living in slums and squatter settlements, to one of the four Asian Tigers. And the few reasons for our success is our strategic location, which made us a global trading centre, our welcoming stance towards foreign trade and investment and a small, clean and efficient government. Altogether, we would be able to conduct huge amounts of trade, especially since welcoming trade and investment would mean countries would be able to contribute to Singapore's growing economy. An efficient and clean government would mean proper orders are carried out and conducting business quick and well.

Compared to China, our economy may be small, but we have a higher GDP per capita, which is to be expected, taking into account the difference in population. Life expectancy for both male and female in Singapore are higher. Looking at the differences, it would seem that Singapore has a stabler economic system than China. However, this is not the case.

Singapore, due to the lack of resources, relies heavily on importing materials from other countries. For example, we may not have oil in Singapore, but we buy oil and refine them before selling them out. This contributes to $43.8 billion of our exports. If that country that we rely on suddenly stops providing us with oil, 12.6% of our overall exports will be gone! More than one-tenth! Also, because Singapore does not have a large domestic market to buffer the consequences of fewer exports, our economy would not do very well if other countries have weaker demands for imports. Therefore, if we rely so heavily on trading, we are vulnerable to any change in our trade market and any slight differences would be magnified when it reaches Singapore. Our economy, compared to China, who has a rich abundance of natural resources, manpower and huge domestic market, is really unstable!

Singapore, therefore, should not be complacent as a country, for even though we may be rich with a vibrant economy right now, it does not mean it would always be this case. If China, our biggest largest foreign investor and trading partner, do not want to invest or trade with us anymore, that would mean a terrible blow to our economy. The economy would do badly because we are a trade-oriented market economy, and is very vulnerable to changes in trade and possible geographical projects. The talk about the Kra Canal, for one. It meant ships did not have to pass by Singapore and could trade at Thailand, where the Kra Canal would be located. For Singapore, that meant trade would decrease as many ships would prefer to go to Thailand instead as it would save them oil and travelling time. Singapore would be in huge trouble because trade plays a huge role in our economy and losing trade meant the economy would be negatively affected. Therefore, Singapore must not be complacent and would need to prepare ourselves for such problem. That then leads us to the next point: The importance of having good relations with China.

Since China is our biggest investor and trade partner, complications in our relationship may cause China to stop trading or investing in us, which means losing a huge sector of our economy. Simply put, we need China more than they need us. An example of that would be the nine armoured vehicles belonging to Singapore that were seized in Hong Kong. It was a warning from China to Singapore, yet Singapore was unable to demand them back as we know that the diplomatic relationship is too important to risk over nine vehicles. Having a good relationship basically means a stabler economy. And as they say, when China sneezes, Singapore catches a cold. The problem in China may be small, but when it reaches Singapore, it is magnified and would affect us greatly.

Maintaining the good relations between China and Singapore is necessary because any decisions made by China would greatly affect Singapore. Therefore, Singaporeans should not be complacent as we are very vulnerable to negative changes and as much as possible, we would like to avoid that.

Cultures Pt3: Embrace Cultural Differences

Hello again!

This week, we spent our lesson going deeper into the prospect of cultures. While we may fit into our cultures as naturally as breathing, that may not be the case if we try to integrate into other cultures. What we see, hear, taste at first is only the tip of the cultural iceberg (refer to Culture: The Forces That Shape It), and it takes us time to learn about other norms. Before we fully understand cultural differences, cultural sensitivity is a must. Knowing what to say and how to act in a foreign country is necessary, in case we offend someone. There is a saying: When in Rome, do as Romans do. But what do we do, if we do not even know what Romans do? 

We then went through some simple cultural practices of different ethnic groups. For example, in Thailand, the head is sacred and must be respected. Therefore, one must not touch the head. In Japan, slurping soup loudly is a sign that one enjoys the prepared food, as opposed to eating as quietly as possible in some other countries. In China, sticking chopsticks upright in a rice bowl must be avoided as it resembles putting incense for the person across the table, symbolising cursing that person to die. 

When faced with cultural practices different from our own, instead of judging harshly from the start, we should slow down to ask more questions and try to reserve our judgement. Seeking clarifications can help us better embrace cultural differences. So not only do we need to identify the different cultural practices, we also need to aim to recognise and understand the perspective of others through cultural sense. 

While many Singaporeans are Chinese (76.2% actually!), that does not mean our culture is exactly like that of China's. Indeed, the Singapore culture has been heavily influenced by the other races. For example, Chinese in mainland China emphasise heavily on 4 main principals: Relationships, Ranks, Reciprocity, as well as Face. 

While those 4 principals are still practised in Singapore, it is not held to that high a regard as compared to China. Relationships are not simply that. The phrase "it's not what you know, it's who you know", is especially significant in China, as having the right contacts can get you many places. Many mainland Chinese rely heavily on relationships (or guanxi) when doing business or any other thing. Therefore, ranks are important. The higher the rank, the more authority you would have. Reciprocity is key too; A favour for a favour, a deed for a deed, and nothing short of returning the goodwill. Publicly shaming someone is not advised either as everything they do rely on their reputation. Avoiding public shaming would save someone their face and avoids ruining the reputation, relationships, ranks that were built so painstakingly. 

In Singapore, relationships simply cannot get you very far. Sure, knowing the right people is an advantage, but with the strict upholding of law and fairness, many Singaporeans fear law and order too much to really use their relationships to get out of trouble. Also, with only limited manpower to rely on, people rather things get done faster and better. Getting the right people for the job is a safer choice. 

However, there are a lot of similarities between Singapore and China's cultures. For example, basic Confucianism is still upheld. Some Chinese superstitious acts (like not placing chopsticks upright in rice bowls) are still avoided. Chinese acts of respect (calling someone by their surname, not using the index finger to point at items etc.) are still practised. 

Even though many of us in Singapore may be Singapore-Chinese and not China-Chinese, that does not mean we have lost all traditions our ancestors' homeland had. At the same time, that does not mean we are identical either. Rather, our culture is influenced by the locals, yet still retaining some of the traditional cultures of China.

In the end, despite our cultural differences, how different can we get?

Cultural Forces Pt2: China

Hi!

Recently, we had our third CID lesson and it was another lesson on culture forces. A part two, you could say. This time, however, it was more specifically about China.

There are five main cultural forces of China, and they are: Taoism, Confucianism, Ethnicity, Dynasties, Communism. So no! Confucianism is not the only cultural force, contrary to belief. We started off by learning how each of these forces specifically affected Chinese culture and history. 

Taoism. Always thought Taoism was a religion. Apparently, it is a Chinese philosophy! It emphasises in the prospect of the world existing in perfect order, Yin-Yang and whatnot, and that human activities disrupt that order. This apparently appealed to ancient Chinese rulers as a basis of rule and governance as it made people believe that uprisings and rebellions would tip the scale of world order. Instilling that belief in its citizens, the government would be able to continue their hold on the country. 

Confucianism was another philosophy that appealed to rulers. It stresses upon family and social harmony and obeying of the person of high position (the hierarchy, basically). The son must obey his father. The wife must obey her husband. The younger brother must obey his older brother. Therefore, the subject must obey his ruler. The people believed in Confucianism, so they believed in the fact that they had to obey those with higher status or power, the rulers. Again, this would decrease the amount of resistance and uprisings, allowing the government to rule successfully. Confucianism has not left our culture however, despite changes in times. Rather, it shows in our everyday activities. Sitting after elders have done so, eating after elders have done so, obeying our elders. Cultural forces.  

There are fifty-six official ethnic groups in China. And the differences between each group are bound to cause some changes in the overall Chinese culture. The common saying, 不要可气, for example. 

Communism was another. The Cultural Revolution took place for ten whole years, from 1966 to 1976.  No longer were the people believing in religion, beliefs, philosophy or anything associating with pre-communist China, but rather, Communism. However, despite the will and actions taken to remove these ideas, they were never forgotten. Those who did not benefit from the cultural revolution turned back to the old ways. This saw increased wealth and self-confidence in the culture and resulted in a resurgence in interest in China's old traditions and culture. Today, this has caused interest in the things people buy that are related to the Chinese cultural. 

These events and beliefs are milestones that have shown changes in China's culture. Different eras, beliefs, governance has truly and utterly shaped it into what it is today: The vibrant and cultural society that is China. 

On another note.

At the beginning of the lesson, we were shown a video, 'Welcome of Beijing' ( 北京欢迎你 ), a clip made specifically for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Although the tune and the video itself were very familiar to me, it was not until today's lesson did I paid any attention to the backgrounds and the subtle references to the Chinese culture. 

There were cameo shots of Chinese Calligraphy, Traditional Art, Peking Opera, Bird's Nest Stadium, The Great Wall, The Forbidden City and most obviously, many Chinese celebrities. These shots made references to the cultural arts, famous landmarks and the pop culture of China.

Taking on the perspective as the director of the video, I have shown different aspects of the Chinese culture, and these are the three.

Firstly, in the scene where two younger Chinese celebrities sit with an elder as she shows them the art of the traditional shadow puppets. The two celebrities then try to imitate her movements. The scene captures the bond between the traditional culture and the modern pop culture and how the old ways that represent the Chinese culture will not be lost if the old passes the traditional aspects to the young. 

In another scene, a group of friends sit around a table as they have fun hanging out and making dumplings. It instils a sense of togetherness and belonging as the group of friends prepare food and chit-chat as they bond together over the traditional way of making dumplings by hand. This shows the world that the Chinese would always find their sense of belonging in China.

Lastly, a group of five celebrities of different ages and two children stands before an entrance as if seemingly a family and everyone has smiles on their faces and clapping together. This scene shows what is valued greatly by many Chinese: Family. While family may be just as important to the rest of the world, it is especially emphasised on in a Chinese family. Using this scene, we can show that Chinese are family-rounded people. 

Chingay 2017: Soundwaves Chingay, WeCare Singapore!

Hello!

On 21 January 2016, a Saturday, we went to the Chingay Parade NE show 2017, which was held at the F1 Pit Building. It was my first time watching Chingay, so while I was excited, I really did not know what to expect.

We gathered in school at around 4.30p.m., took our attendance and boarded a bus that took us to the venue. Much to our dismay, it was alternating between pouring and drizzling while we were on our way there. The prospect of sitting on wet seats in the rain did not heighten our enthusiasm, but we were adamant about having a good time together. So we chatted between ourselves as the volunteers handed us raincoats and ushered us to our sector.

The 1974 Tiger Float in Chingay 2017

Our school was seated in Sector A, so we were the first to watch the performances. The order did not matter though, for it was a parade and everyone got to enjoy the same performances, albeit at different timings, but similar experiences nonetheless. 

This year's Chingay theme was Soundwaves Chingay, WeCare Singapore. We would be able to expect performances from different ethnic groups, Chingay classics like the much anticipated Tiger Float and of course, fireworks! 

The Indian performance and Float:
multi-cultural Singapore

The opening segment was named Crescent Moon and Stars, where 600 performers from all races, age and background gathered together to dance, exemplifies and uplifts the 5 core values, Democracy, Justice, Peace, Prosperity and Equality, of our nation. The lively performances from the youths of Singapore, where we got to see dance and even bicycle tricks, really caught my attention. The NS performed with military precision, along with the iconic NS service man float that came along with it. Then there were the performances from the different races, along with floats of their respective ethnic group. There was also the legendary Tiger Float, which we were really excited to see. They also played folk songs and xingyao, many of which were familiar to us, so we sang along. For example, the Malay dancers played their Kompangs and danced along with the familiar folk tune, Rasa Sayang. In that moment, as we joined in the voices, we felt really bonded. 

Performance by the Japanese Association

There were also performances from other countries too! For example, Cambodia, South Korea and the Japan Association, where we got to see performances specific to their cultures. The performers of the Japanese Association wore tradition Japanese costumes and danced to the Japanese folk-like tune in the background, some while holding up drums, banners and flags, really showing their cultural spirit and who they are. It was a great experience to see different performances from cultural groups, not just from the major ones in Singapore. 

Towards the grand finale, the song 'Rainbow In Our Hearts' was showcased and many of us stood up to wave our light sticks and pom poms. I found the lyrics really meaningful, and there was one line that really stuck out: As one people we are, reaching for the brightest star. It really struck me as how similar it was to Chingay's purpose: To bring people as one. The song was something I feel Singapore should work towards; An accepting nation with no racial discrimination.

In my opinion, Chingay's purpose is to let the people of Singapore have a glimpse into the different culture, both of Singapore and the world. There are no barriers of race or language, therefore bringing everyone together. While Chingay started off celebrating the Lunar New Year and being a strictly Chinese celebration, the different ethnic groups have joined in the celebration over the years. Chingay wasn't just a 'Chinese parade' anymore. It was neither the Malays' festival, nor the Indians', but everyone came to perform and watch. Performances from countries outside Singapore really show how Singapore receives foreigners with open arms, not only to tolerate them, but really accept their cultures without prejudice. Singapore has truly integrated multi-culture into our society.

*With our love at the core, we know we can achieve so much more. 

A brighter Singapore, evermore. 

                                     *lyrics from 'Rainbow in Our Hearts'

Culture: The Forces That Shape It

Hello again!

We had our 2nd CID class this week, and we started our discussion with the word 'culture' and how 'forces' shape cultures.

What is culture? How do we define it? How are cultures shaped?

So we began class by defining culture using 4 words beginning with 'F': Food, Fashion, Festivals and Folks.

These are the most common and easiest ways of defining culture because most or all of them are just surface qualities that can be observed after a short period of time. Reading or watching videos can help assist in observations even without physically being there. However, cultures are not solely defined by these 4 aspects. It is more complex than that.

One has to look deeper into the local way of life in order to fully understand their cultures. Aspects like language, food, music, holiday customs, festivals are all but surface qualities, nothing but the tip of an iceberg. To fully understand, there are many 'deep cultures' in a nation. These 'deep cultures' are 'unspoken rules' on what to do and what not to do, or a set of expectations that people base their lives on, and to an outsider, is very hard to see without submerging him or herself in local life for a relatively long period of time. Some examples of 'deep cultures' are etiquette, social expectations, views on raising children, and attitude towards age (or hierarchy). These are cultural forces.

Singapore's own cultural forces include immigration, religious and ethnic composition. These aspects shaped our own culture and an example of that will be something like Singlish!

How do theses forces help understand China?

China's culture does not just consist of things that people see or hear. Rather, it is shaped by the ways that the people lead their lives and their beliefs that drive them. For example, the unspoken-but-often-emphasised hierarchy system demands respect from the younger generations to the older. There is no law that states that one must be respectful or take care of their parents, but in the same way, an unfilial child who does not take care of his aged parents is frowned upon. Subtle forces like that shape the Chinese culture.

Below is a photo I had chosen to represent Singapore's culture. It shows four shophouses.



Although they may be of different colours (different races, different beliefs, different languages et cetera), they can still stand side by side on the same street, not only to co-exist, but also to complement each other's colours and make them stand out. And in the end, everyone is equal; we are all human and are people who carry the cultures of Singapore.

Self-introduction

Hello! I'm Zhang Xiaohan, 14 in March, and I'm in 2J this year. I'm currently in Chorale.

I'm previously from Nan Hua Primary School. I love reading books and listening to music. There are no particular genres that I favour, both for music and for books, and it really depends on my mood that day, but if I had to pick a genre that I lean towards more consistently, I would say (pop-)ballads. But nothing I can think of for books since my favourites spans across vastly different genres.

I have two sisters, one older and one younger, so that makes me the middle child! My entire family does well in Chinese, except me, but I enjoy English and Science. I really don't get numbers, so my Math is horrible. I'm horribly forgetful, and I lose and forget things so often it's a daily occurrence. I've taken the personality quiz, and I'm apparently an INFP, so I'm an introvert! I am awkward at times, especially with new people, but with my friends, I'm rather loud.

I look forward to the many activities the school planned for us this year, including the upcoming NE show as well as the OELP trip, which I really want to go with my current CID group. I hope I can improve this year, and cope well with the many materials we will be learning. I hope to forge deeper friendships and bonds with my classmates and schoolmates as well.