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Saturday, December 20, 2008
Reflection [Qin Ai] The Global Perspective Programme to Beijing was a very enriching experience for me. Through this trip, I was exposed to the historical background of China, the power CCP gathered, its culture, as well as its development in the various aspects, ranging from its standard of living to science and technology. It had undeniably broadened my horizon and changed some of my beliefs of China prior to the trip.
Initially, my impression of China is that it is a country rich in culture and history and has great potential to excel given the right administration. However, the various media reports also made me think that China’s development is exaggerated. But this trip has reaffirm my beliefs that China definitely has the abilities to be a potential Word no.1, and its development is definitely not exaggerated, though I think there is still much work to be done to achieve this feat. For example, from this trip, I realised that income disparity in China is even more evident than in Singapore. While living standards have indeed improved, there is still a large number of poor commoners who depended heavily on selling cheap goods to tourists, but rarely do I see people buying from them, hence I think they probably earned very little. This also leads to the rise in fake imitations of branded goods. This is one of the many social problems (others being illiteracy, jobs competition, citizen’s welfare, development of the rural areas etc) that the Chinese government has to address if China wants to be a first world country for people to live in happily.
In the course of this learning journey, we also visited many tourist attractions, admiring their beautiful sceneries and understanding the story behind each of them. Sites such as Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and Prince Gong’s Palace displayed past China glory as well as the emperors extravagant spending; while the Great Wall shows China impenetrable defence and its isolationistic belief in the past. Not to forget Tiananmen Square which holds many historical significant events, Mao Memorial Hall which shows the Chinese fierce dedication to their all-time hero, Hutongs which illustrates the lifestyle of the commoners in the past, and places such as Temple of Heaven reminds people of the importance of hierarchy as well as Chinese’s superstitious. However, Beijing is not only a historical city, what really wows me is how well the city is able to blend modern developments with traditional culture. And no matter which place you go, the values or message that it is trying to convey seems inter-linked. For example, the real reason for the existence of Mao Memorial Hall is so that the CCP can continue to stay in power, and places such as Hutongs which educates communalism and Anti-Japanese Museum serves to help its case.
During the exchange programme, I had the opportunity to experience the school life of teenagers in China. Indeed, I spotted some differences between the school lives of teenagers in both Singapore and China. For example, they have morning exercise everyday (even in winter times!), and they study politics since primary education! While most Singaporeans shun examinations, to them, exams are a common thing that happens every week. However, we do have similarities, but mostly in the area of recreational activities and entertainment.
In a nutshell, this is my first time participating in such a programme, and it had definitely left a lasting impression on me. The breathtaking sceneries of Great Wall and Forbidden City, the rapid development of Beijing, the hospitality of the staff and students in Renming University and Bei Da Fu Zhong, and the lessons specially prepared by the lecturers would forever be etched in my memory.