Overall Reflection
2015年5月26日早晨，我班的三十四名学生及三位带队老师展开了期盼已久的海外学习之旅。长达一周的上海、扬州学习之旅不仅让我们有了更广阔的世界观，也促进了同班同学们之间的友情。
首先，我们抵达了中国经济最发达的城市——上海。据导游所说，上海在短短几十年就从一个渔村发展到如今繁荣的金融中心，与新加坡的发展十分相似。
第一站，我们到了上海市中心的一个区域——外滩。外滩有一段沿黄浦江的马路和沿路的建筑和设施构成，可说是上海重要的地表之一。令人兴奋的是我们乘搭了渡轮，而黄浦江的夜景简直就是上海独一无二的风景之一。黄浦西岸是一幢幢风格迥异、充满浓郁异国色彩的万国建筑，黄浦东岸是一幢幢拔地而起、高耸云间的现代建筑。
下一站，我们到了中国二十四座历史文化城之一的扬州。我们去了个园、剪纸博物馆、朱自清故，以及许多其他的景点后，对中华历史及文化有了更深层的了解。这趟学习之旅最大的亮点则是与树人中学的交流活动。通过观摩树人中学的学生上华文课的情形，我发现他们的学习态度十分积极，而且还会主动回答老师的提问。我认为他们良好的学习态度及课堂上积极的参与很值得我们学习。除此之外，我们还上了一堂武术课，并展示了我校独创的立化拳。在这次的交流中，虽然我们只有十几分钟与树人中学的学生相处，但他们依然十分热情地招待我们。与他们交谈后，我惊讶地发现他们在学校里都非常拼命地读书，几乎每天都早出晚归。我们的校园生活显然比他们的还要轻松，但我们却身在福中不知福，还时常抱怨，真是太不应该了！由此可见，中国与新加坡的教育方针确实有些不同。
总的来说，这趟学习之旅让我们获益匪浅，不光开拓了我们的视野，也使我们更清楚地看到中国和新加坡之间的文化差异。最重要的是我们结交了新的朋友，同班同学之间的友谊也更加深厚了。这七天内所发生的点点滴滴都让我们留下了美好的回忆
Personal Reflections
Day 1 (26th May 2015)
Singapore to Shanghai
Ø
Depart from Changi Airport
Ø Upon arrival, cultural visit to the bund （外滩)
Ø
Cruise visit to Huangpu River
Ø
Check-in Hotel
今日焦点: 金融中心
首先，我们来到了中国经济最发达的城市——上海。据导游所说，上海在短短几十年就从一个渔村发展到如今繁荣的金融中心，与新加坡的发展十分相似。
 |
|
外滩的风景
creds: Gabriel |
外滩是上海市中心的一个区域，有一段沿黄浦江的马路和沿路的建筑和设施构成，可说是上海重要的地表之一。外滩全长1.5公里，南起延安东路，北至徐州河上的外白渡桥。东面即黄浦江，西面是旧上海金融，外贸机构的集中地。外滩沿路坐拥有二十多幢风格各异的历史建筑，有折衷主义的，也有文艺复兴式的，还有早期现代式的，故而被誉为“万国建筑博览群”。自上海开埠后，外滩就开始成为了上海乃至中国的金融及贸易中心，也被称为“东方华尔街”。1943年起，外滩的正式路名为中山东一路。
令人庆幸的是我们有机会乘搭渡轮，而黄浦江的夜景确实是上海独一无二的风景之一。当然，我并没有只顾着看风景。虽然在乘搭轮船时感到有点儿晕眩，但黄浦江的风景还是十分引人注目的。因为外滩是上海乃至中国的金融及贸易中心，所以黄浦江的风景都是由不同重要的建筑组成的。仔细观察建筑后，中国的经济来源主要包括旅游业，以及海外投资。同样的，新加坡的经济来源也主要包括了旅游业，以及海外投资。新加坡的金融中心则是乌节路和滨海湾，但相比之下，新加坡的金融中心的风景没有外滩迷人。
Other than comparing China ’s
and Singapore Singapore
Day 2 (27th
May 2015)
Shanghai to Yangzhou
Ø
Travel to Yangzhou
Ø
Geyuan Garden （个园）
Ø
Chinese Paper Cutting
Museum
Ø
Local Market Visit
今日焦点: 中华文化
接下来，我们到了中国二十四座历史文化名城之一的扬州。扬州人的生活步伐比上海以及新加坡慢，他们过着较悠闲的生活。即使扬州并没有其他的都市那样繁荣，但轻松的生活节奏却令我羡慕不已。
Before sharing about China ’s
culture, I am going to compare the difference between Shanghai
and Yangzhou
Shanghai (business district):
- more foreigners
- more modernised
- more globalised (better economy)
- more vehicles (they even have to auction for cars
- more expressways
Yangzhou
- colder
- more trees
-
more traditional & cultural (historical value)
- slower pace of life
Day 3 (28th
May 2015)Yangzhou
今日焦点: Education system Shu
Ren School Shu
Ren School Shu Ren School Shu
Ren School Shu Ren
School Shu Ren School Shu Ren
School Shu Ren
School
What protocol (follow procedures) did we do right/ miss?
-ve
Day 4 (29th
May 2015)Yangzhou
今日焦点: Cost of living Singapore
What are some of the things that China
has but Singapore Singapore Singapore Singapore
Day 5 (30th
May 2015)Yangzhou
今日焦点:
Day 6 (31st
May 2015) Yangzhou to Shanghai Shanghai
今日焦点:
Day 7 (1st
June 2015) Singapore Qibao Ancient Town Shanghai Singapore
今日焦点
笑一笑, 沒煩惱
{28/04/2015}
CULTURE
.PNG)
Group activity in class
What do you think of when I say Culture?
Culture of Yangzhou
Folks- Background of people, their beliefs
- Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu province in the People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern BANK
of theYangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yanchengto the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across the river to the south.
beautiful scenery
-Its population is 4,414,681 at the 2010 census and its urban area is home to 2,146,980 inhabitants including three urban districts plus currently in the agglomeration.
- Historically it is one of the wealthiest of China's cities, known at various periods for its great merchant families, poets, painters, and scholars. Its name (lit. "Rising Prefecture") refers to its former position as the capital of Yangzhou prefecture in imperial China.
:( I can't find out much about folks of Yangzhou
{10/04/2015}
Can we use the Merlion as our national icon?
Merlion is a mythical creature with the body of a fish and the head of a lion
Fun fact: In 2009, a lightning strike took a chunk on the Merlion's mane and the debris landed on the status's base, cracking it.
The Merlion (right-hand corner)
We had a group discussion on whether the Merlion is the best icon to
represent Singapore Singapore and the Merlion is just one of them. Singapore
There are many factors that affect our choices when it comes to deciding if we can use the Merlion as our national icon:
- Why do we say that the Merlion can represent Singapore?
- What makes the Merlion suitable as our national icon?
- How will having a national icon change people's perspective of the Merlion (e.g. the tourists)
- If we make the Merlion our icon, what will happen?
First of all, I don't think that Merlion can represent Singapore as we cannot assume that everyone can identify the Merlion and it may not even be suitable as our national icon at all. The story of Sang Nila Utama brought about the creation of the Merlion but the story may or may not be true. Hence, if we make the Merlion our icon, there may be an uproar.
Secondly, there are other icons that can represent Singapore equally well.
National flag
Singapore River
Vanda Miss Joaquim
Gardens by the bay
{27/03/2015}
Golden age
Tang dynasty's Science & Technology (group activity in class)
Golden age in Tang dynasty (in terms of Science & Technology)
- various development in woodblock printing, time keeping mechanical engineering, medicine, structural engineering, cartography & Alchemy
- woodblock printing: written words were available to more people, books published, literacy rates improve and lower classes can study more cheaply.
woodblock printing
- time keeping: the astronomical clock and water-powered armillary become well-known throughout the country (they provided a steelyard balance that allowed adjustments in pressure head of the compensating tank and controlled the rate of flow for different lengths of day and night)
astronomical clock
- mechanical engineering: 0.91m tall mechanical wine server in the early 8th century
- medicine: the Tang fostered learning in medicine by upholding imperial medical collages, state examinations for doctors, and publishing forensic manuals for physicians
- cartography: Tang chancellor Pei Ju created a well-known grid map with a graduated scale in the tradition of Pei Xu
- alchemy: the Chinese employed complex chemical formulas for an array of different purposes, often found through experiments of alchemy (e.g. a waterproof and dust repelling cream or varnish for clothes and weapons, fireproof cement for glass)
Singapore's own version of the "Golden Age"
When's Singapore's golden age? The answer is NOW! Why? Singapore became independent in 1965 and this year, we're celebrating SG50. For the past 50 years, Singapore has been upgrading, from a third world country to a first world country.
Mr Lee Kuan Yew was the first Prime Minister of Singapore, governing for more than three decades from 1959 to 1990, including through Singapore's independence from Malaysia in 1965. As Sinagpore's founding father, he died at the age of 91 on 23/03/2015. Without him, Singapore would not have prosperous. Without him, Singapore would not at its golden age right now.
在我眼里，李先生是一位伟大的建国总理。
\
As a result of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's contributions to Singapore, Singapore is prospering now and the younger generations are able to live in the golden age of Singapore. Another example other than the Jurong industry, is the Singapore River.
Singapore River in the past
Present Singapore River
{17/02/2015}
Group activity of the week
For this lesson, we had an activity where we had to group different situations accordingly. Later on, we had to categorise them into opportunities or treats to Singapore. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to snap a picture of it :( refer to the previous reflection on possible implications of China's economic growth on Singapore instead!
Fellow classmates presenting
{13/02/2015}
China's economic growth
China rank 2nd in the world terms of total GDP
China rank 4th in the world in terms of GDP per captita (wide income gap)
SHOCKING numbers
China has seen an unprecedented economic growth over the last two decades as they open up their country to international trade and welcome foreign investors to invest in the country (e.g. The Irish connection and Irish trade). China also joined WTO to access to more international markets for their exports and allow more foreign investors to enter the country freely. In this lesson, we examined the main factors of China's economic growth and tried to see the effects of economic growth on China.
Tracing the factors of China's economic growth
Look around you! Search high and low! I bet you would find a lot of objects made in China (watches, calculators, water bottles etc.) and why have we chosen to import from them and not other countries or even produce domestically. For Singapore, we have limited amount of resources and we cannot produce that many objects domestically and so, we've to import from other countries. Why China? Why not Japan? Why not Korea?
Why are there so many imports from China?
- Cheap labour
- Cheap rental
- Mass production
- Pro business policies
- Competitive exchange rates
- Competitive cooperative tax rates
These factors lead to CHEAP imports and since China is nearer to Singapore as compared to some other countries like USA, the shipping fee would be cheaper too!
Impact of Economic Growth on China
Social- Income inequality (not everyone has equal opportunities from growth)
Employment- More job opportunities
Standard of living- People are consuming more goods and services than before(buying more high-end goods)
Environment- Pollution (air, water, noise)
Possible implications on Singapore
- Viewed through this lens, a rising China is regarded by Singapore leaders as both an opportunity (particularly in terms of the China market and China’s potential as the new, massive engine for regional economic growth) as well as a challenge (consider Chinese competition for foreign direct investment in the manufacturing, financial and even technologies sector; and potential Chinese revisionism towards the strategic status quo).
All of the nine economies it analysed have seen increased trade dependency to China since 2000, albeit to varying degrees.
Singapore, which has seen exports to China as a SHARE of GDP almost triple since 2000, would fare worst with as many as 1.6 percentage points cut from GDP growth.
Singapore came out as the worst affected economy in the region, suffering an output gap as big as 10 per cent of the island nation's GDP.
Successful joint ventures in China:
- The China–Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park is a county-level administrative area located in Suzhou, China with significant Singaporean influence. In the late 1990s, the heavy losses incurred by the park caused a scandal in Singapore.
- The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city is the result of a collaborative agreement between the governments of China and Singapore to jointly develop a socially harmonious, environmentally friendly and resource-conserving city in China.
In conclusion, China's economic growth has impacted Singapore in terms of our economy and the impact is getting worse as time passes. Even though there may be more opportunities for Singapore leaders, the challenges are going to affect the economy and prosperity of Singapore.
{06/02/2015}
Dwindling population growth in Singapore
As
a developed country, Singapore
Prediction
of possible situations that might happen:
-
Singapore
-
A
shrinking population would result in fewer people in the workforce, which would
in turn lead to higher taxes on each working people.
-
There
would be a smaller talent pool to lead and serve Singapore
and the situation would further worsened for Singapore
-
There
would be more foreign talents coming into Singapore
and leaving less opportunities for Singapore
-
This
vicious cycle may continue over the years and the population growth in Singapore
Measures on how Singapore
One child's policy
Poster for publications
What is a 1 child's policy? It is
a policy implemented by the Chinese
government as a method of controlling the population. The one-child policy was
introduced in 1979 in response to an explosive population growth, and mandated
that couples from China
Consequences of 1 child policy:
Positive & negative effects of
removal of 1 child policy:
I think that 1 child policy is not a
good idea as the consequences faced can be severe. Even though it's a method of
controlling the population and it certainly succeeded, there are side effects
to the succession. As time passes, the consequences would get worse. For
example, the inversion of the age pyramid would continue or even worse and
there would eventually be more and more
males and not enough females. However, removing the 1 child policy has its own
effects too. Still, I think there are more positive effects than negative
effects. Thus, implementing the removal of the 1 child policy may further
benefit China
{30/01/2015}
Poverty in Singapore
In
the previous posts, the picture of the Vulture and a child has clearly depict
the poverty in another country and now, it's time for us to reflect on poverty
in Singapore
After doing online research, I've
surprisingly found out that about 1/5 of Singaporeans live below the poverty
line.
You can see that in 10 years, from
2002 to 2011, the proportion of those in the high-income category had grown by
10 percentage points. Fast forward to 2013, does it mean that the proportion of
Singaporeans living in poverty is 28%, and those in the high-income group has
grown to 27% (refer to top and bottom images)
Images adapted from: http://thehearttruths.com/2013/10/28/poverty-in-singapore-grew-from-16-in-2002-to-28-in-2013/
As time passes, the proportion of
Singaporeans living in poverty has been gradually increasing. At the rate
poverty in Singapore Singapore
After doing more research, I've
concluded that poverty in Singapore Singapore is one of the highest in the world and
yet that public assistance in Singapore 
Images adapted from: http://thehearttruths.com/2013/10/25/26-of-singaporeans-live-below-poverty-line-in-singapore/
If we compare Singapore to the other
high-income developed countries, we can see that the public assistance of
US$1.79 provided to an individual per-day is actually much lower than what is
defined as poverty in most other high-income developed countries, such as in
Switzerland (US$10.25), Australia (US$8.02), Germany (US$6.61), United States
(US$4.91), Japan ($4.83), South Korea
(US$2.15).Singapore
The statistics have all shown that the
proportion of poverty in Singapore
is getting higher and if the situation doesn't improve, the income gap in Singapore Singapore 's
cost of living is getting higher, more and more people in Singapore Singapore
{23/01/2015}
Reflection based on "A picture paints a thousand words"
This CID lesson was mainly about different pictures and the hidden
stories behind every picture
When my teacher- Ms Huang showed us this picture, none of us knew
about the story behind the picture. We came up with various titles to express
our thoughts and feelings about the picture and different classmates had
different points of view. After knowing the hidden story of the picture, it
saddened me as I really pitied the photographer and the child. The photographer
felt that he should have helped the child instead of trying to stay away from
him to prevent the transmitting of diseases and only focused on taking the
photographs. Though he had won awards for the picture he took, he ended his
life as he could not take the pressure, which is a tragic incident. If I were the photographer, I would definitely be heartbroken to
see the state of the child and would not bear to leave him there as he may die
of hunger or get eaten u by the vulture. Even though, the child may transmit
diseases to me, he is also a life form after all. Although there is a chance
that both of us may end up dying of diseases, it would be depressing for me to
just leave him there alone, with no one to seek help to.
Not only did Ms Huang showed us pictures, she also showed as a
short story and asked us to guess what the woman said to her husband. Lots of
classmates were shouting out negative words and sentences which they thought
might have been said. I did not really participate in guessing as I had come
across with the same passage on the internet before. When I read it online in
the past, I was surprised to find out what the woman shouted and felt bad for
thinking bad about her husband. I learnt that we should not jump to conclusion
based on given tests and pictures. We need to find out the story behind the
incident to come to a conclusion.I always jump to conclusion just after listening to one side of
the incident and I would only realised that what I thought was not what
happened after listening to the whole incident and the real story behind the
incident. We should always think twice and not just make quick decisions or
conclusions as the world is not as simple as we think it may be.
一艘游轮遭遇海难，船上有对夫妻好不容易来到救生艇前，艇上只剩一个位子，这时，男人把女人推向身后，自己跳上了救生艇。女人站在渐沉的大船上，向男人喊出了一句话……
(adapted from
http://www.meiwen66.com/jingdianxiaohua/jdxh_458.html)
Last but not least, Ms Huang also shared 2 pictures with us and we
were supposed to pen down thoughts using the " See, think, wonder"
thinking routine. One of the picture depicted a homeless and broke man asking
for help, using a cardboard. His belongings and money were all stolen and
hence, he needs money to make a phone call to get help. The other picture
depicted a woman carrying a child and was standing at an awkward distance near
a man who was reading. Later on, we found out that both of the homeless man and
the woman with the child are both beggars. After we pen down our thoughts about
the pictures and shared with the class, Ms Huang asked the class that if we
were given a dollar to give to either of the beggars, who would we give the
dollar to and why? Most of the students, including me, chose to give the dollar
to the woman as we pitied that she had to carry the child around and beg for
money at the same time. On the other hand, we also thought that the man
was able to earn money by working and should not be just sitting there and
waiting for others to donate money to him. However, Ms Huang then revealed about the stories behind both
pictures and the woman carrying a child is actually a syndicate. I was not
really surprised as my parents have talked about syndicate before and they told
me that I should only donate to the "beggars" in Singapore
I am fortunate to be in Singapore Singapore
China or Taiwan
CXT's book of short adventures
2014 EOY HOLIDAY (24/10-02/01)
My holiday was not as exciting as I had expected, but I still had fun!
During the first part of my holiday, which is during October and November, I enjoyed my time going to school for Co-Curriculum Activities (CCA). Just in case you do not know, my CCA is Chinese Orchestra (CO)! I had some difficulties preparing for River Valley (RV) Open House as we had to learn 5 songs within a short period of time. However, I think that it is a good experience for me and I could bond
more with my CCA mates. We also needed to learn new songs for the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) and I was a bit worried about my performance during CCA as I may not be chosen to represent CO for SYF. I'm having a "test" soon and the conductors will be watching us perform a certain part of one of the pieces. I really hope the hardwork I had put in during the holiday would not be wasted :)
In mid November, I also went out with 2 of my friends (from 2A)! At first, we had problems deciding on the timing due to disagreements, but we were not arguing. We finally decided on a suitable timing and wanted to catch the movie "Big Hero 6". Unfortunately, the counters at Cathy Cineplexes in Jem broke down and we proceeded to Sogurt instead. Coincidentally, I saw 2 of my classmates from badminton and it's a bit awkward to see them again after a period of time, but I was still glad to see them. After that, we went back to Cathy Cineplexes and finally bought tickets for the movie. The movie was really nice and touching, that 3 of us (who were a bit too emotional) were almost crying or was trying to cry without being seen. The characters in the movie were also very cute and cool.
One memorable incident is that my friend, Honey realised that she left her phone in the cinema and she was panicking. Hence, all of us rushed back to find her phone but to no avail. Then, I dialed her phone number and her phone was flashing, which was why the other friend managed to found the phone. What a relief!
From left to right: Monica, Me, Honey
Big Hero 6 (in Jem)
The second part of my holiday, which is during December, was tiring yet fun. Even though I did not have a chance to go overseas (excluding Malaysia), I had fun bonding with my families and friends! In mid December, I had a gathering with 4 of my ex-classmates and we went to all the Jurong East's shopping malls, spending half of the day hanging out together. Although we went to the places we had gone to in June, we did not find it boring. Instead, we found it rather tiring walking around and talking non-stop. There are a lot of things I would like to mention about but I think I should just keep it short and simple. I was extrememly excited to see them again and the most memorable thing we actually did was just to sit at a corner and chit-chat. We were gossipping and discussing about different topics, such as school work, friendships etc. We ended up laughing a lot as one of my ex-classmates kept hearing the wrong words and the meaning of the sentences became weird (a bit inappropiate) and funny.
Other than just going out with my friends, I also went to Universal Studio of Singapore (USS) with my family (which includes my parents, younger brother and aunt). It had been a few years since 5 of us went to USS together. At first, we were indecisive if we should go on that particular or choose another day, and had a rather difficult time deciding. One of the reaons was that it might rain and we would then be wasting out money and time. Another reaons was that I had not done most of my homework and I was not exactly sure if I should go play in USS. However, 2015 was coming and we should enjoy ourselves before school starts. Thus, we still went on that particular day and fortunately, it did not rain. When we entered, we kept taking pictures as the backgroud suited the whole atmoshpere.
My parents (who bought the tickets)
Some of the queues were really long and after some time, we realised that perhaps we should have queued under the "single rider" line, which probably would have been much more faster. There were also various events and acitivities going around.
For example:
ELMO (Christmas show)
Unfortunately, we were not able to catch the fireworks as we were too busy queuing for rides. My brother, aunt and I were having so much fun but my father had to take care of my mother. My mother was not feeling well and even vomitted.
Last but not least, the Christmas lightings were extremely beautiful and it brightened up the whole pavement. Lots of people were busy taking pictures and using selfie sticks to take group selfies! I also took a lot of pictures (of a not-that-great quality)
Christmas tree (NOT for me to climb)
Time to leave :(
今日焦点: 中华文化
笑一笑, 沒煩惱
{28/04/2015}
CULTURE
|
| Group activity in class |
|
| What do you think of when I say Culture? |
Culture of Yangzhou
Folks- Background of people, their beliefs
- Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu province in the People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern BANK of theYangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yanchengto the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across the river to the south.
of theYangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yanchengto the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across the river to the south. |
| beautiful scenery |
-Its population is 4,414,681 at the 2010 census and its urban area is home to 2,146,980 inhabitants including three urban districts plus currently in the agglomeration.
- Historically it is one of the wealthiest of China's cities, known at various periods for its great merchant families, poets, painters, and scholars. Its name (lit. "Rising Prefecture") refers to its former position as the capital of Yangzhou prefecture in imperial China.
:( I can't find out much about folks of Yangzhou
{10/04/2015}
Can we use the Merlion as our national icon?
Merlion is a mythical creature with the body of a fish and the head of a lion
Fun fact: In 2009, a lightning strike took a chunk on the Merlion's mane and the debris landed on the status's base, cracking it.
|
| The Merlion (right-hand corner) |
We had a group discussion on whether the Merlion is the best icon to
represent Singapore Singapore and the Merlion is just one of them. Singapore
There are many factors that affect our choices when it comes to deciding if we can use the Merlion as our national icon:
- Why do we say that the Merlion can represent Singapore?
- What makes the Merlion suitable as our national icon?
- How will having a national icon change people's perspective of the Merlion (e.g. the tourists)
- If we make the Merlion our icon, what will happen?
First of all, I don't think that Merlion can represent Singapore as we cannot assume that everyone can identify the Merlion and it may not even be suitable as our national icon at all. The story of Sang Nila Utama brought about the creation of the Merlion but the story may or may not be true. Hence, if we make the Merlion our icon, there may be an uproar.
Secondly, there are other icons that can represent Singapore equally well.
|
| National flag |
|
| Singapore River |
|
| Vanda Miss Joaquim |
|
| Gardens by the bay |
{27/03/2015}
Golden age
Golden age in Tang dynasty (in terms of Science & Technology)
Golden age
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| Tang dynasty's Science & Technology (group activity in class) |
- various development in woodblock printing, time keeping mechanical engineering, medicine, structural engineering, cartography & Alchemy
- woodblock printing: written words were available to more people, books published, literacy rates improve and lower classes can study more cheaply.
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| woodblock printing |
- time keeping: the astronomical clock and water-powered armillary become well-known throughout the country (they provided a steelyard balance that allowed adjustments in pressure head of the compensating tank and controlled the rate of flow for different lengths of day and night)
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| astronomical clock |
- mechanical engineering: 0.91m tall mechanical wine server in the early 8th century
- medicine: the Tang fostered learning in medicine by upholding imperial medical collages, state examinations for doctors, and publishing forensic manuals for physicians
- cartography: Tang chancellor Pei Ju created a well-known grid map with a graduated scale in the tradition of Pei Xu
- alchemy: the Chinese employed complex chemical formulas for an array of different purposes, often found through experiments of alchemy (e.g. a waterproof and dust repelling cream or varnish for clothes and weapons, fireproof cement for glass)
Singapore's own version of the "Golden Age"
When's Singapore's golden age? The answer is NOW! Why? Singapore became independent in 1965 and this year, we're celebrating SG50. For the past 50 years, Singapore has been upgrading, from a third world country to a first world country.
Mr Lee Kuan Yew was the first Prime Minister of Singapore, governing for more than three decades from 1959 to 1990, including through Singapore's independence from Malaysia in 1965. As Sinagpore's founding father, he died at the age of 91 on 23/03/2015. Without him, Singapore would not have prosperous. Without him, Singapore would not at its golden age right now.
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As a result of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's contributions to Singapore, Singapore is prospering now and the younger generations are able to live in the golden age of Singapore. Another example other than the Jurong industry, is the Singapore River.
{17/02/2015}
For this lesson, we had an activity where we had to group different situations accordingly. Later on, we had to categorise them into opportunities or treats to Singapore. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to snap a picture of it :( refer to the previous reflection on possible implications of China's economic growth on Singapore instead!
Singapore's own version of the "Golden Age"
When's Singapore's golden age? The answer is NOW! Why? Singapore became independent in 1965 and this year, we're celebrating SG50. For the past 50 years, Singapore has been upgrading, from a third world country to a first world country.
Mr Lee Kuan Yew was the first Prime Minister of Singapore, governing for more than three decades from 1959 to 1990, including through Singapore's independence from Malaysia in 1965. As Sinagpore's founding father, he died at the age of 91 on 23/03/2015. Without him, Singapore would not have prosperous. Without him, Singapore would not at its golden age right now.
在我眼里，李先生是一位伟大的建国总理。
我国独立期间，李先生就为新加坡建立了一个廉洁的政府，
由于1960至70年代，新加坡的经济丧失英军支持，
李先生当年积极推动经济改革与发展，
家为高。因为有了他的贡献，
As a result of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's contributions to Singapore, Singapore is prospering now and the younger generations are able to live in the golden age of Singapore. Another example other than the Jurong industry, is the Singapore River.
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| Singapore River in the past |
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| Present Singapore River |
{17/02/2015}
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| Group activity of the week |
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| Fellow classmates presenting |
{13/02/2015}
China's economic growth
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| China rank 2nd in the world terms of total GDP China rank 4th in the world in terms of GDP per captita (wide income gap) |
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| SHOCKING numbers |
Tracing the factors of China's economic growth
Look around you! Search high and low! I bet you would find a lot of objects made in China (watches, calculators, water bottles etc.) and why have we chosen to import from them and not other countries or even produce domestically. For Singapore, we have limited amount of resources and we cannot produce that many objects domestically and so, we've to import from other countries. Why China? Why not Japan? Why not Korea?
Why are there so many imports from China?
- Cheap labour
- Cheap labour
- Cheap rental
- Mass production
- Pro business policies
- Competitive exchange rates
- Competitive cooperative tax rates
These factors lead to CHEAP imports and since China is nearer to Singapore as compared to some other countries like USA, the shipping fee would be cheaper too!
Impact of Economic Growth on China
Social- Income inequality (not everyone has equal opportunities from growth)
Employment- More job opportunities
Standard of living- People are consuming more goods and services than before(buying more high-end goods)
Environment- Pollution (air, water, noise)
Possible implications on Singapore
- Viewed through this lens, a rising China is regarded by Singapore leaders as both an opportunity (particularly in terms of the China market and China’s potential as the new, massive engine for regional economic growth) as well as a challenge (consider Chinese competition for foreign direct investment in the manufacturing, financial and even technologies sector; and potential Chinese revisionism towards the strategic status quo).
Successful joint ventures in China:
- The China–Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park is a county-level administrative area located in Suzhou, China with significant Singaporean influence. In the late 1990s, the heavy losses incurred by the park caused a scandal in Singapore.
- The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city is the result of a collaborative agreement between the governments of China and Singapore to jointly develop a socially harmonious, environmentally friendly and resource-conserving city in China.
{06/02/2015}
- Viewed through this lens, a rising China is regarded by Singapore leaders as both an opportunity (particularly in terms of the China market and China’s potential as the new, massive engine for regional economic growth) as well as a challenge (consider Chinese competition for foreign direct investment in the manufacturing, financial and even technologies sector; and potential Chinese revisionism towards the strategic status quo).
All of the nine economies it analysed have seen increased trade dependency to China since 2000, albeit to varying degrees.
Singapore, which has seen exports to China as a SHARE of GDP almost triple since 2000, would fare worst with as many as 1.6 percentage points cut from GDP growth.
of GDP almost triple since 2000, would fare worst with as many as 1.6 percentage points cut from GDP growth.
Singapore came out as the worst affected economy in the region, suffering an output gap as big as 10 per cent of the island nation's GDP.
Successful joint ventures in China:
- The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city is the result of a collaborative agreement between the governments of China and Singapore to jointly develop a socially harmonious, environmentally friendly and resource-conserving city in China.
In conclusion, China's economic growth has impacted Singapore in terms of our economy and the impact is getting worse as time passes. Even though there may be more opportunities for Singapore leaders, the challenges are going to affect the economy and prosperity of Singapore.
{06/02/2015}
Dwindling population growth in Singapore
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- A shrinking population would result in fewer people in the workforce, which would in turn lead to higher taxes on each working people.
- There would be a smaller talent pool to lead and serve
- There would be more foreign talents coming into
- This vicious cycle may continue over the years and the population growth in
Measures on how Singapore
-
Encourage
marriage and childbearing to increase birth rates (For instances, the
Singapore government gives
incentives in the form
of tax rebates
to couples who
have more children.)
-
Hold
campaigns to raise awareness of the dwindling population rate and emphasis on
the consequences
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| Poster for publications |
What is a 1 child's policy? It is
a policy implemented by the Chinese
government as a method of controlling the population. The one-child policy was
introduced in 1979 in response to an explosive population growth, and mandated
that couples from China
Consequences of 1 child policy:
-
Problems
of female abortions and infanticide. After the one-child rule was implemented,
many families clung to traditional preferences for a male heir (among other
cultural and economic motivations). As a result, abortions of females have
become commonplace, as well as the killing of babies born postpartum.
-
A society in which men greatly outnumber women
— by a factor of 32 million
-
By
the midpoint of the century, more than a quarter of the Chinese population will
be over 65. And it will be at this point in time (if not sooner) that young
adults will face an unprecedented burden of care — what's
been dubbed the 4-2-1 problem.
Positive & negative effects of
removal of 1 child policy:
-
A
larger labour force (more children now -> more working population in future)
-
More
consumer spending (at least on baby formula)
-
Happier
people (could end human-rights abuses like forced abortions)
-
A
smaller gender gap
-
Increased
strain on natural resources
I think that 1 child policy is not a
good idea as the consequences faced can be severe. Even though it's a method of
controlling the population and it certainly succeeded, there are side effects
to the succession. As time passes, the consequences would get worse. For
example, the inversion of the age pyramid would continue or even worse and
there would eventually be more and more
males and not enough females. However, removing the 1 child policy has its own
effects too. Still, I think there are more positive effects than negative
effects. Thus, implementing the removal of the 1 child policy may further
benefit China
After doing online research, I've
surprisingly found out that about 1/5 of Singaporeans live below the poverty
line.
You can see that in 10 years, from
2002 to 2011, the proportion of those in the high-income category had grown by
10 percentage points. Fast forward to 2013, does it mean that the proportion of
Singaporeans living in poverty is 28%, and those in the high-income group has
grown to 27% (refer to top and bottom images)
Images adapted from: http://thehearttruths.com/2013/10/28/poverty-in-singapore-grew-from-16-in-2002-to-28-in-2013/
As time passes, the proportion of
Singaporeans living in poverty has been gradually increasing. At the rate
poverty in Singapore Singapore
After doing more research, I've
concluded that poverty in Singapore Singapore is one of the highest in the world and
yet that public assistance in Singapore
For example:
Images adapted from: http://thehearttruths.com/2013/10/25/26-of-singaporeans-live-below-poverty-line-in-singapore/
If we compare Singapore to the other
high-income developed countries, we can see that the public assistance of
US$1.79 provided to an individual per-day is actually much lower than what is
defined as poverty in most other high-income developed countries, such as in
Switzerland (US$10.25), Australia (US$8.02), Germany (US$6.61), United States
(US$4.91), Japan ($4.83), South Korea
(US$2.15).
Even when compared to Hong Kong, the poverty
line of US$5.77 is significantly higher than the US$1.79 that the Singapore
The statistics have all shown that the
proportion of poverty in Singapore
is getting higher and if the situation doesn't improve, the income gap in Singapore Singapore 's
cost of living is getting higher, more and more people in Singapore Singapore
2014 EOY HOLIDAY (24/10-02/01)
My holiday was not as exciting as I had expected, but I still had fun!
During the first part of my holiday, which is during October and November, I enjoyed my time going to school for Co-Curriculum Activities (CCA). Just in case you do not know, my CCA is Chinese Orchestra (CO)! I had some difficulties preparing for River Valley (RV) Open House as we had to learn 5 songs within a short period of time. However, I think that it is a good experience for me and I could bond more with my CCA mates. We also needed to learn new songs for the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) and I was a bit worried about my performance during CCA as I may not be chosen to represent CO for SYF. I'm having a "test" soon and the conductors will be watching us perform a certain part of one of the pieces. I really hope the hardwork I had put in during the holiday would not be wasted :)
more with my CCA mates. We also needed to learn new songs for the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) and I was a bit worried about my performance during CCA as I may not be chosen to represent CO for SYF. I'm having a "test" soon and the conductors will be watching us perform a certain part of one of the pieces. I really hope the hardwork I had put in during the holiday would not be wasted :) |
| From left to right: Monica, Me, Honey |
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| Big Hero 6 (in Jem) |
The second part of my holiday, which is during December, was tiring yet fun. Even though I did not have a chance
to go overseas (excluding Malaysia), I had fun bonding with my families and friends! In mid December, I had a gathering with 4 of my ex-classmates and we went to all the Jurong East's shopping malls, spending half of the day hanging out together. Although we went to the places we had gone to in June, we did not find it boring. Instead, we found it rather tiring walking around and talking non-stop. There are a lot of things I would like to mention about but I think I should just keep it short and simple. I was extrememly excited to see them again and the most memorable thing we actually did was just to sit at a corner and chit-chat. We were gossipping and discussing about different topics, such as school work, friendships etc. We ended up laughing a lot as one of my ex-classmates kept hearing the wrong words and the meaning of the sentences became weird (a bit inappropiate) and funny. Other than just going out with my friends, I also went to Universal Studio of Singapore (USS) with my family (which includes my parents, younger brother and aunt). It had been a few years since 5 of us went to USS together. At first, we were indecisive if we should go on that particular or choose another day, and had a rather difficult time deciding. One of the reaons was that it might rain and we would then be wasting out money
and time. Another reaons was that I had not done most of my homework and I was not exactly sure if I should go play in USS. However, 2015 was coming and we should enjoy ourselves before school starts. Thus, we still went on that particular day and fortunately, it did not rain. When we entered, we kept taking pictures as the backgroud suited the whole atmoshpere. |
| My parents (who bought the tickets) |
For example:
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| ELMO (Christmas show) |
Last but not least, the Christmas lightings were extremely beautiful and it brightened up the whole pavement. Lots of people were busy taking pictures and using selfie sticks to take group selfies! I also took a lot of pictures (of a not-that-great quality)
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| Christmas tree (NOT for me to climb) |
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| Time to leave :( |
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