Cross-Cultural Trip to Beijing, China
To broaden the perspectives of YTzens, YTSS organised a China immersion
programme to Beijing and Tianjin from 9th to 16th
November 2014. Throughout this trip, students were given ample learning
opportunities to develop them into leaders who are more confident, as well as
thinkers who are able to think innovatively and critically while dealing with
global issues.
Students were culturally immersed in a country poised to become
the next global superpower, discovering for themselves the dragon of the orient
through exploring the following learning themes: Arts and Architecture,
Collaboration, Education and Tourism. These themes have allowed students to
investigate issues crucial to a country’s development and to think of how
Singapore can leverage the success of China in certain aspects by doing
detailed comparisons and conducting in-depth research.
The itinerary revolved around these 4 learning themes. For
example, we visited the shopping belts – Wangfujing Street and Nanluoguxiang to
learn about Tourism, the Confucius Temple to discover the history of the education
system in China, the 798 Art District to soak in the artistic atmosphere and
the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city to witness for themselves the fruits of the
collaboration between Singapore and China.
This immersion programme featured a new aspect in which YTzens
brought learning to their China buddies in Beijing Shangdi Experimental School
as well. On the last day of their exchange programme, YTzens set up interactive
display booths to let their buddies learn more about the Singaporean culture
and lifestyle. This fostered a deeper understanding of their own roots and enhanced
the meaningful interaction with their China buddies.
All in all,
this trip offered our Secondary Three YTzens a purposeful exposure, prompting
them to think about their own future, as well as that of the nation. It has
also deepened their understanding of China and developed their global
perspective and cross-cultural awareness.
I have not regretted signing up for the China cross cultural
trip as I got to experience climbing the seven wonders of the world – Great
Wall of China, participated in a twinning programme with students from Shangdi
Experimental School and visited 2 renowned universities in China – Peking and
Tsing Hua universities! My learning point from the trip is that it is important
for us to explore the world more to experience and understand different culture
and ways of living. This will broaden our horizon and enable us to learn to
appreciate what we are having now in Singapore!
Divya
d/o Loganathan Pillai from 3N2
I feel that the China
overseas fieldtrip has really been a meaningful and memorable experience that I
will never forget. The days spent in China have allowed me to deepen and create
new bonds and friendships with my batch mates. The most memorable part of the
trip would definitely be the scaling of the Great Wall of China, as it was
really tough! Upon reaching the top, I felt a great sense of accomplishment!
Darren Chan
from 3E7
The Great Wall of China had
taught me the value of resilience. I persevere and keep climbing despite the
altitude, challenging steps and cold winter! I told myself to not give up and
thought of the rich history and determination of our forefathers! Once I
reached the peak, I couldn't help but feel a great sense of achievement!
Chua Jieying
from 3N2
We had to wake up very
early to witness the flag raising ceremony at Tian An Men Square. Even though
it was a short event, I was awed by the amount of local that turned up to
witness the ceremony. This shows how proud the locals are of their state flag
and make me reflect on my attitude towards our morning assembly. After this
experience, I will make it a point to sing and recite our National Anthem and
pledge loudly!
Sim Zu Terng
from 3N2
I am glad to be able to
experience 2 days of school immersion programme at Beijing Shangdi Experimental
School. It was a great experience as their studying environment and teaching
methods are very different from Singapore. The students are also very
participative and attentive during lessons and it make me realise that I should
be much more serious in class too!
Lua Anqi from
3N2