HCI Beijing Satellite Campus

A thrilling week has passed, and the memory of our weekend is etched in the deepest corners of our minds.This weekend was like no other. In the early morning, my friends and I woke up early and had a sumptuous breakfast in the Subway shop. We were all energetically prepared to leave for the Science museum.What stroke me the most was how compacted and humid the buses in Beijing were. We were so densely packed that the radiating heat of the man next to us, the reek of his cologne, the rhythmic puffing of his breath was next to ours.

Boarding the bus was also a really disturbing task, for people rushed up the bus like a swarm of bustling bees, compared to the relatively nonchalant attitude in Singapore. It felt extremely uncomfortable for many of us to engage in such tight competition despite already freezing from the bitter coldness.

When we eventually reached our destination, we were in awe of its majestic, splendid outlook. A mere split second glance of the building created an irresistible bond of attraction between the visitors and the museum. There was a gigantic screen that played interesting caricature on the mechanisms used to purify the air. And beside it was the oval-shaped museum, its surface so bright and shining that it resembled a mirror.  We could even brush our hair and adjust our winter clothing in front of it.The grandeur and beauty of the various exhibits did not so astonish many of us.

There were four floors; each floor had four exhibits marked with A to D showcasing a particular area of interest. For example, the first level showed us the tools used by peasants in Chinese history. High-tech devices such as infrared detectors and motion sensors were utilized for displaying the tools. It had effectively teleported the visitors into the past, and made us feel deeply connected and well-informed of the Chinese history.After exploring the museum, my friends and I took a brisk 20 minutes walk to the “bird’s nest”. The entry ticket was 25 yuan, and the price raised our expectation concurrently. It was a satisfying experience as we had the opportunity to marvel at the enormity of the interior of the building, and the brilliance of architects. It wasn’t that difficult to realize that constructing a building with curved metals took a lot of hard work and genius in the part of the constructers.

Later in the day, we decided to take a 40minutes taxi ride over to “Wang Fu Jing”, and visit the shopping malls around there. Some of my friends were excited about the prospect of purchasing clothes, some just wanted to look at its splendour, but I was really attracted to the renowned 6 storey high bookshop there with cheap books for sale.

I was not disappointed. Every level of the bookstore had its own classification of Chinese books. The vast amount of available books was made more intriguing with the price it was sold for. 50 Yuan for a thick manuscript of Liszt, 30 Yuan for Chopin, 15 Yuan for a book on Chinese poems. I went berserk. After much contemplation, I narrowed my purchasing list to 5 books and made payment. I was really glad for my friends to have bought me there.

Later in the day, I had dinner with my friends and ate a bowl of noodles, which was a local delicacy. All of us enjoyed the unique exotic taste of the noodles melting in our mouths, and the flavour of the sauce. We had a good meal.Overall, I really enjoyed myself during the weekends. The field trip, the outing with my friends, the food and the cheap prices was part of it. But what really mattered was the experience we gained, the friendship we made, the people we met. I had learnt a lot from visiting the public areas of Beijing, and learnt a bit of the culture of the people. As such, I really look forward to the weekends in China, for every week brings forth a new, exciting set of experiences.

The weekend was very fun and enjoyable as we went to the science center near the olympic games park station, and also to one of the most complex shopping center. The science center was an amazing experience for me as the place was filled with many fascinating exhibitions. One of them was the one where we could place our hands into water, rub the sides of the bowl, and the water in the bowl would start moving by itself. What was more amazing was that this was done a long time ago, where there were no such things as vehicles anywhere. The capability of the Chinese truly amazes me. Also, we went to 三里屯村购物商场，which had a 2 level Apple store there, together with Uni Qlo and Nike.The shopping complex was very complicated as there were at least a few different blocks,with no linkage in between any of them. Hence, we lost our way trying to go from one place to another. Also, the way to this shopping complex was a misleading one as no one knew where exactly it is, only knowing that it was near the Worker’s Stadium in Beijing. On Sunday, I stayed in the dormitory together with my friends, and we had an enjoyable time together. We also had time to explore a few eating places, with food prices as cheap as 9 yuan. I feel that this weekend was well spent and I am thankful that I came here to Beijing as the furthest place I have been to before China was Malaysia. When I was in Malaysia, I was with my parents all the time. However, now in Beijing, it is just me and my friends. It really trains me to become independent, as everything had to be done by yourself. As there are also many other tourists attractions in Beijing, I would definitely spend my time visiting the other tourists attractions in Beijing, which I feel would definitely be a very fulfilling experience.

I’m only late because our wireless is facing several problems, like disconnecting every day. But at least we’re lucky we still have internet. ;D

Since I’m late for this post, we went to the Mutianyu Great Wall! We didn’t take the cable car up, so it was a tiring walk (or climb) up the long long flight of stairs. There were overpriced drinks on the great wall, and also breathtaking scenery! It’s like killing two birds with one stone. On the way down, remember to walk away when the souvenir shop owners name you a price for something, or else you buy something for 100 times the price. And also obviously, the first few shops are overpriced.

And also, because I’m late in my posting, I managed to experience some immersion classes. 2 teachers in 2 days acknowledged our existence! Their classes, if I’m not wrong, are also like ours, where there are Humanities classes, SMTP-like classes and others. I joined a humanities class, and for Literature, we analyse chinese novels. For Geography, we examine migration patterns around the world and mainly the Chinese people. For History, we take a look at clay and porcelain production over the dynasties. Other lessons not much to say I guess.

Oh, and I have not tasted the legendary 羊肉串. Sad me. I don’t feel homesick like some other people because I already live in HCIBS~THIS BE MY BLOG POST PEOPLE.

张智信Zhang Zhi Xin 3B129 

星期六：           我们起了个大早，吃完早饭后就与大家一起前往北京科学馆参观。           科学馆坐落在鸟巢和水立方附近，是由人们经常参观的景点之一，他造型奇异，方形的建筑物旁还有一个巨大的圆球体，体现出了当地人的创意。           走近科学馆，里边人山人海，非常热闹。与外边寒冷的天气形成鲜明的对比。科学馆里也宽敞无比，仰头直望，只见天花板高达五层楼，十分壮观。          走进展区的入口，我们发现里面有四个展区，分别分四层楼。我们首先参观了第一层，第一层是参观中国古代的科技。走进大门，迎面而来的是几架水车，这些水车外形各异。用处也各有。有的用来洗衣服，是衣服变得更加洁净亮丽。有的用来舀水，令这项工作变得更加简易。还有的用来磨豆浆，这大大减少了人力，方便了人们的生活。展区内还有一些中国著名的古代发明，例如张衡的地动仪，以及指南针等。这些发明大大开拓了我们的视野，令我对中华民族的文明大为赞赏，对古代人民的智慧大为佩服。           另一个令我获益良多的就是三楼的数学科学展区。他解释了许许多多的数学现象，运用圆周等定理，解决了许许多多的数学问题，而且这些问题活泼有趣，令我对数学起了极大的兴趣。科学区里也有许多生动的内容，它展示了生命的诞生，以及小鸟的孵化，生物的多样化，以及生物们生存的自然法则。馆内不止用文字向人们传授有趣的知识，还运用了新科技。我们在里面看到了很多台电脑，电脑里会展示图片。有了如此先进的设施，人们只会流连忘返，乐不思蜀。            这次的科学馆之旅令我受益良多，我了解到了中华文化的源远流长，我了解到了中华文化的博大精深。我观察到，中国的人们对知识有一种极大的渴望，很多人到此参观学习，以了解更多的知识，丰富自己的生活。我也要像本地人学习，多学习知识，多丰富自己的视野，令自己的生活更加多姿多彩。

When I first arrived in Beijing and felt the cold winds beating on me, I was initially afraid that I might not get used to the cold weather. Besides, this was the first time I am experiencing temperatures less than 5 degrees Celsius. Thankfully, the hostel was warm and comfortable, and I slept really well the first night I am here.

The school we are attached to, 北京师大二附中, was quite big and had some very interesting art displays. The lessons over there were very interesting also, as there were some subjects that were very new to us. Hopefully, these subjects would help me understand more about the Chinese culture and philosophy. This week, we would be having an immersion programme with the Chinese students. They were very friendly and our group had lots to chat with the class we were attached to.

Last Monday, we were enthralled to see snow falling from the skies. This was the first time I have seen natural snow. Although the snow stopped in the afternoon and temperatures fell to nearly unbearable levels after that, we had fun having snowball fights with each other. The next day, we went to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, and the climb to the wall was a long and tiring journey. However, once we had reached there, the scene was absolutely marvellous and beautiful. The snow that had fallen the previous day had not melted, and the white layers of snow further beautified the scene. We took a lot of photos and threw lots of snowballs at each other. Later on, we went to the underworld to see the tombs of the 13 Ming emperors buried below the ground. We had the chance to see the thrones and the vases that were buried along with the emperors and the empresses so that they would be able to use them in the after world.

All in all, the stay here had been very interesting and enjoyable, and with the temperatures rising to more comfortable levels, we would sure to have an exciting and comfortable stay here.

Today is the start of our second week here in Beijing. By now, we all have adjusted to the routine stuff such as doing our own laundry. Today was the start of our immersion week too. Basically, we get to join in lessons at a local middle school, three persons to a class. The classes were the rough equivalent of a secondary 2 class, and the lessons were all conducted in Chinese, including English.

It snowed today. Very beautiful. Well, a picture is worth a thousand words, so…

We’re going to the Great Wall of China tomorrow, so stay tuned for more updates.

By Lee Kun Siang

One week have passed since I arrived in Beijing.  I must say that the trip has been enjoyable so far. When I first landed in Beijing, I was not used to the cold weather. The temperature dropped from over thirty degrees in Singapore to just a few degrees or even zero degree Celsius. It was worse when the wind blew at me. I felt freezing cold and was shivering violently. The quality of the hostel was higher than my expectations. The only bad part about the hostel was that the toilet had no lock.

Thankfully, the hostel is not very cold inside, even at night. I only had to wear one layer of clothing to keep warm. There was also hot water available for bathing, which made it relaxing and enjoyable to take a shower. On the second day we went to Beijing planning centre. We took the bus there and the subway back. It was the first time I took the Beijing public transport. On the bus, the passengers kept jostling and pushing around. At first I could not find a sit and had to stand. Only after twenty minutes into the journey could I sit down. As for the subway, it was not very different from that of Singapore’s MRT. Inside the subway, even the way the seats were arranged was similar to the Singapore’s MRT seat arrangements.

At the Beijing Planning Centre, I was enlightened on some of Beijing’s future plans such as enabling the entire Beijing to use environmentally friendly energy source and building skyscrapers which will break world records. There, I even watched two fascinating 3D short movies, one showing Beijing’s history and the other Beijing’s future plans. In conclusion, I fully enjoyed myself during the first week and i hope to learn more through observing and interacting with the Chinese locals.

2nd March 2010 marked the start of a new Beijing Satellite Campus batch. Although only a week has passed, so much has happened, and I have to admit being in Beijing is truly an eye-opener for me. The weather here currently is approximately 0° C, an occurrence that would never be seen in Singapore. Over the past 2 days, it has also been snowing, and i really enjoyed my first-ever experience in the snow.

On the first week, we were introduced to the school we are attached to, 北京师大二附中, and our dormitories which is only a stone’s throw away. The whole stretch of shops lining just outside the school almost have everything one would want to buy, ranging from food, to stationary and books. On school days, we can only have our meals in the school’s canteen which serves dishes quite similar to the “economical rice” in Singapore. But on outing days and weekends, we are allowed to go out and explore Beijing. Beijing cuisine serves a rich variety of foods, I especially like the roadside stalls selling traditional Beijing snacks such as 羊肉串, 葫芦 and 臭豆腐.

Since our BSC batch coincides with lessons in Singapore, we have to do online learning, although some subjects such as Chemistry, IHC, Physics and Maths are taught by the teachers who came with us. Besides having lessons, we also got the opportunity to participate in outings to places of attraction in Beijing, and so far we have gone to Beijing Science and Technology Museum, Bird’s Nest and there will be many more to come.

This coming week we will be having an immersion programme to join in the local students in their lessons, and I am sure that I will enjoy the remaining 5 weeks to come.

 Today, march the eighth, marks the start of the immersion classes after 1 week of normal studies. We were dispatched to different classes and we studied with the China students there. It was very enriching and it was fun to make new friends. The classes were taught in chinese, which presented us with a level of difficulty in understanding the lesson.

Moreover, it snowed today!  The snow came in the morning, thick and soft. The track and ground was totally covered in snow. Cold as it was, we played with the snow, made them into clumps and had a mini snowball fight!  It was extremely fun, however, the snow ended in the afternoon when it got slightly hotter.

In the afternoon at around 4, the sec 4s went for our first Wu Shu class. At first we were shocked to realize that it was held in the open and cold track and at first we were shivering with the cold, but it became better at the end. The Wu Shu teacher really worked us hard with pushups, stretches and the techniques in Wu Shu. After the class, we knew preliminary moves to Wu Shu, plus feeling less cold after all.

Today was the first day we experienced snow since we arrived at Beijing. The snow was soft and fluffy and it feels so different from those in Singapore’s Snow City. The whole school was covered with white snow turning it to seem like a white paradise. We also had a small snowball fight during our break. Everyone had a fun time throwing clumped snow at each other. It was a fun which we cannot experience in Singapore.

Today was also the first day of our immersion program. First, we were dispatched into different classes of Beijing Normal University and had lessons together with their students. I had Geography, Chemistry, English and Mathematics with them. The lessons were all taught in Chinese and I had in hard time understanding all the scientific terms for chemistry and mathematics. The lessons were different from those in Hwa Chong as all the talking was all done by the teacher. In Hwa Chong, the students had to response intellectually to the teacher’s teaching. Overall, the immersion program was very enriching and fun. I too had made some new friends during the immersion program.

In the afternoon, we had our first WuShu lesson. The teacher spoke in a humorous tone and we all had fun. During the 1 hour lesson, we spent almost half of the lessons doing warm-up, including stretching, jogging and jumping. After that, we started our WuShu lessons which are mainly learning about punches.

Overall, today was a very enriching and fun day for me.