The trip left me with (alot) souvenirs, memories, and of course, an experience which i will never forget. I learnt many things from the OELP trip.
Yes, the trip has increased my knowledge of China and how it has an impact on Singapore. I have also been more aware of the values and beliefs of people from china. For example, when I was walking through the Ge Garden, I saw that it was heavily influenced by Confuscianism and Buddhism. Following the trip, I can say I am proud to be Singaporean. Why? From my trip in China, I can see that not only me, but many other foreigners have developed a stereotype that China’s citizens are ungracious. For example, my classmates and I saw something which will never happen in Singapore- Parents allowing their child to openly excrete in public, as seen in the DamingTemple. Whenever seeing a photo of somethingungracious , people normally tend to comment ‘Obviously He/She is from China!’ On the other hand, people have an impression of Singaporeans being very civilized and gracious. For example, when conversing online about tourist destinations which are safe, Singapore is the first to come to mind. Healthcare? Go to Singapore! Singapore’s healthcare and safety is renowned internationally, and Singapore also has a great reptutationworldwide. How do you know this? For example, rich Indonesian businessmen always come to Singapore for medical treatment, instead of seeking treatment in a Private hospital in Indonesia. Furthermore, Singapore has not only a strong $, but it is also known for being an extremely well developed country. Lastly, I will talk about how the Chinese preserved and promoted their culture, and how Singapore can learn from them in that very aspect.
Or will i? In contrast to the question posed, I will talk about my own perspective, on how China can learn from Singapore about cultural preservation first instead. As shown in visits to the many Rivers and the Daming Temple, China’s economy depends much on tourism. The tourists’ interests in China’s tourist attractions contribute to millions of dollars worth of entrance fees every year, for every attractions. I have noticed for many attractions, there is a sign accompanying the price table. It normally states ‘proceeds from entrance fees and donations will contribute to the preservation and maintenance of this attractions.’ Honestly, will thathappen. The money will probably go into the coffers of a government official. And none of those entrance fees will be used to preserve that attraction. Here’s a living example. Just look how dilapidated the Great Wall of China is. How much work has been put to preserve the attraction? A quick check on Google gives me the following‘ The entrance fee is 85RMB.’ Yes 85 RMB of profit for every visitor who sets foot on this attraction. How much worth of entrance fees can be earned in a year? Yet none of this money is truly spent on the tourist attraction itself. My guess is, the money is used for China’s ever growing Military. On the other hand, for Singapore’s attractions, part of the entrance fees go to organizations like WWF, while the rest is really spent on the attraction itself. The Singapore Zoo is a prime example how Singapore’s system is anti-corrupt compared to China. There was a race organized not long ago to commemorate Ah Meng. ‘ A portion of the proceeds from the event will go towards the care of endangered animals at the Night Safari and Singapore Zoo.’ See the difference? While people can say that Singapore has not been doing well in cultural preservation and promotion by removing part of Bukit Brown Cemetary, I think we are STILL doing a lot better than our Chinese Counterparts
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