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.