Today, before we got onto the plane to set off on our journey to China, we were asked to read and understand the overarching objectives of this trip and tasked to make a list of our own personal goals. These personal goals were goals which we set to accomplish during the upcoming arduous trip, having to travel to a myriad of places in China within a limited period of time.

The guiding questions to aid in the setting of these goals were the following:

1. Why do you chose to go on this trip? 

2. What do you hope to do there?

3.What do wish to learn there?

The following are my brief responses to the respective questions stated above:

1. Even though I am not very willing to give up my badminton trainings and stretching time for this, I am curious of how the history, heritage, culture and economy is like in another country, which in this case is China. In addition, I also want to learn to be more independent by embarking on this school trip without my parents and taking care of myself responsibly with minimal supervision. This includes doing all my laundry by myself and sleeping at the right time without being reminded to. In all, this valuable opportunity to broaden my knowledge and mindset and to practice independence is a treasured one that would be a shame to miss. 

2. I hope to accomplish the overarching objectives of OELP the heads of this subject have set for us. China is a fast-growing country that is so similar yet so different from Singapore. For example, both of our countries are similar in the sense that we are multi-racial, yet different in the variety of different festivals we celebrate. Living in a whole wide world full of different people, it is vital that we take time to understand and learn from each other so as to maintain good diplomatic relations with other countries and to enable all parties to advance together. Additionally, I hope to foster closer bonds with my classmates and make new friends with the students in China. 

3. I wish to learn more about the culture, traditions, beliefs and values the people there uphold. Also, in relation to the School Immersion Programme, I wish to learn more about the education system and the way of life of the students there, that is, how the students learn, eat, sleep, communicate and play on a regular basis in their daily lives. Not just that, I also wish to learn more about the work systems in China from the visits to the few factories. As the future of Singapore, when we grow up and go into the workforce, this will perhaps be useful in helping us come up strategies that can be implemented to improve on various companies' systems. 

I personally feel that the setting of goals carries undeniable importance in our learning during the trip. It enables us to think on our feet and ask necessary and well thought out questions according to the things we hope to learn to the professionals in their fields. This will broaden our mindset when out on the trip which will in turn enhance our otherwise redundant learning.

After we had reached Hangzhou, China, we headed for dinner. Since it was only my second time in China, the food on the table surprised me a little. They were not the kind of food you would see at a typical Chinese restaurant in Singapore. All the dishes on the table looked relatively oily and tasted salty, in particular, an exception to the previous statement, the commonly seen steamed egg. This dish is often found everywhere in Singapore, even in hawker centres, and they are ever so tasty when eaten with vegetables, meat and rice. However, compared to the one served at the restaurant we visited in Hangzhou, the ones found in Singapore seemed so much less flavorful, resulting in mix reactions from everyone. As for me, personally, I found the one in the restaurant way too oily and salty. Despite this, food is food, and it was refreshing to step out of my comfort zone and try a complete different cuisine of food than what I am used to.

When dinner time had ended, we headed for Song Dynasty City, the largest and biggest theme park featuring the civilisation of the Song Dynasty in China. No doubt an educational yet fun park, we had the chance to walk along streets with little stalls selling relatively cheap treats and souvenirs that were based on that during the Song Dynasty. Owing to the fact that the Song Dynasty was a period of ripe feudal society in which the development of economy, science, technology and culture was advanced in the world, the streets were brightly lighted up and the stall tenders and other workers were dressed rather elaborately with more than a single layer of cloth and some accessories, the style during the Song Dynasty. This clearly demonstrates the rich cultural contents during the Song Dynasty.

The main aim at the Song Dynasty City was actually to enjoy a performance of the name 'Romance of Song Dynasty' based on the same period of time. This performance is a large scale one which had previously received the Lotus Award, an award that is given to those with the top honour of Chinese dance. It has gained much recognition and has been performed for millions. Telling the story of the history and culture of Hangzhou through many different tales, myths, legends, historical anecdotes and real historical events mingled with exquisite world-class dancing and jaw-dropping acrobatics, it will leave your mouth hanging wide open. If I could ask the performers at the Song Dynasty Performances a question, it would be: Since the stories, myths and legends that you are performing on were from such a long time ago, was it difficult to understand and immerse yourselves into the respective characters you were playing? After all, getting into character is probably the hardest part in acting. Without a doubt, I felt that I had truly experienced the way of life during the Song Dynasty, a dynasty that arts and performances were well loved, after watching this performance.

 In all, I feel that visitors do indeed truly experience the culture and heritage of China at the Song Dynasty City. The streets and people are decorated and dressed so realistically that you will feel like you are literally living in the past. However, of course, the place might have been a little too magical, an understandable fact just because if the park was just a plain old street, people will show no interest in it. Despite this, there is always a limit to how much you can learn from a place. The Song Dynasty City does provide substantial background information about the Song Dynasty, however, it is admittedly not possible for the entire story of the Song Dynasty to be told within a single park. Although the disadvantage of the lack of information, I feel that the visitors who have paid attention to the important facts of this park do learn enough to at the very least have a background knowledge of this dynasty, one of the most precious ones in the history of China. 

This move of amalgamating cultural and historical aspects into businesses like the Song Dynasty City is indeed a smart and creative one. Not only do they allow visitors to enjoy themselves, they also educate them on their history and culture by allowing them to experience a whole other world of the past. As a matter of fact, Song Dynasty City is not the only business which has succeeded in this aspect. Dian Xiao Er, a chain store selling duck rice in Singapore as well as other countries, has also made their mark in this. With the design of their shop being that of one in the olden days and the duck rice they serve being a traditional delicacy, they definitely will leave an impact on customers, allowing them to experience the history and culture of the Chinese. 

Although today is only the first day, I feel that it has been a fruitful one with numerous goals set and much knowledge acquired. We even got to relate this knowledge to a place very close to our hearts, Singapore. Throughout the trip, I hope to gain more awareness about the many aspects of China and create more experiences that I will never forget.