HCI Beijing Satellite Campus

First week into the new year, 2012, spent in a foreign city, Beijing. We had a couple of school holidays on the first few days of the year when we were free to roam around the city. Besides that, we also had opportunities arranged by the school to go on fieldtrips on Wednesday and Saturday.

Wednesday was 西游记. At around 8-9am, we all set off in our different groups to our destinations. For our group, we went to 恭王府 first, followed by 白米斜街. We then decided to cycle along 白米斜街 to reach our third destination, 宋庆龄故居. However, it was unfortunate that one of our group members met with an accident. While walking on the frozen lake, 后海, the portion of ice he was standing on suddenly cracked, and he fell into the lake. He was drenched from head to toe, hence we brought him to a rest stop along the road, and I cycled off to a clothes shop to find a new pair of jeans for him. While I was unfamiliar with the streets in the area, I asked many passers-by along the way and found my way to a wholesale market. It was indeed a memorable experience, and I recall what I once heard: The best way to familiarise yourself with a place is simply to become lost in it, and then find your way around. True enough, after purchasing a pair of jeans, I could navigate around the area with much ease!

On Saturday, we went to 颐和园, followed by 圆明园. Lady luck was on our side that day. By the time we reached 颐和园, it had started snowing, and we were greeted by the breathtaking winter scenery in the garden - frozen lake, well-positioned trees and falling snow. As we made our way around the garden, we took many photos in the snow together, had our all-time favourite Pocky snacks, warm bowls of instant noodles and ice-cream that never melted in the cold, and instinctively started snow fights too. It was indeed exciting, and even the teachers joined in the fun! (Of course, students, being more agile, had the upper hand!) We even had the chance to ride on little carts across the frozen lake at 苏州街. This was a good alternative to ice-skating since I was not able to skate anyway. All of these were unique experiences which we will never get to have in our tropical homeland.

In the afternoon that same day, we went to visit 圆明园. Having watched a documentary on 圆明园 the night before, I was particularly interested to see for myself the remains of the historical event, 火烧圆明园. The rocks and structures in the garden hold significant meaning behind them, and visiting the place helped to deepen my understanding of what happened back when the British and the French looted and burnt 圆明园. After we left 圆明园, we were dismissed, and we broke off into our separate groups to spend our final weekend in Beijing.

This blog post heralds the start of our final week in BSC. While six weeks may seem long, how many of us have completed all the goals we had set out to achieve here? Can we proudly say that we can leave Beijing with no regrets at all? One last week in BSC before we head back to Singapore, to school, and to the life that we were so used to leading six weeks ago - what kind of changes will we see in ourselves in the new year of 2012, and for the rest of lives? Only time will tell.

Gary Tan Guan You
翱翔班

我们在北京已有五个星期了，时间还过得真快，一眨眼就过去了。

在这一周的星期三我们展开了“西游记”。我们当天到了恭王府，在那儿不但看到了古物，也看到了画展。画展展出的都是一些舞者优美的姿态，一一的画像就仿佛是动画片，栩栩如生。看到的古物其实老实说也有点恐怖。就打个比方，有个盆子专门放贡品的，根据老师所介绍，放进去的一切都会不翼而飞。真是迷离！

接着，我们在路途上迷了路，走进了一个市场。在那儿，我第一次吃了炸蝎子。眼看还蛮吓人的，但咬了一口后，却发现它非常可口美味，好像有点马铃薯片的感觉。只可惜它也不便宜，所以我不能多买。午餐时，我们就在一家潮州式餐馆用餐。我就在那儿第一次尝了烤鹅，吃起来和烤鸭每差多少，但是贵了点。说起来也蛮好笑的：我们点的牛肉被送到了另一桌而他们的虾却“跑”到了我们这桌。但我们都没察觉到，直到我们吃完菜后，才发现牛肉都没来。

在完成“西游记”的当儿，我这组也尝试骑自行车。不过，这就让我有点困扰 — 不妨和你说，我并不会骑自行车，所以我只好和老师一起骑辆协力车，就辛苦了南华的黄老师。

自己策划行程还是第一次的新体验。虽说没想像中那么顺利，但我以后还想再尝试多一次这样的活动。

蔡劼翰
启航班

Five weeks have passed since our arrival in Beijing. In the blink of an eye, it is now down to the final week. Like all other weeks, the fifth week went by quickly.

During the fifth week, we all changed our bed sheets for the final time. It seemed such a long time ago when we were all changing our bed sheets for the first time - many of us were unable to do so as back in Singapore, we did not do this ourselves. Now, after a couple of practices, most of us are now able to change them on our own. Through BSC, away from our families, we have all grown to be more independent.

After our long New Year’s Day holiday, we started off the fifth week with our very own “Journey to the West” (西游记). For this activity, our group of 75 split up into different groups and set off to explore the district west of Beijing city. We had planned our own routes and itinerary. Through this activity, we got to explore the forgotten old streets of Beijing, or known locally as the hutongs (胡同). We also visited an elderly couple who has been living the same district for 70 years.

Besides the hutongs, we also visited two landmarks of the 2008 Beijing Olympics - the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube. We also went to the nearby National Science and Technology Museum which is perhaps similar in concept to the Science Centre that we have back in Singapore.

The weather in Beijing turned real chilly this week. Even without the strong howling winds, the cold is enough to send shivers down your spine. Still, the cold weather has also brought benefits. Due to the cold, water bodies all around the city have been frozen solid. As such, it is possible to go ice skating on lakes. Ice skating outdoors is really a different experience from ice skating indoors. It is certainly a must-try!

BSC has really been thus far a good and enriching experience. I will never forget the friends that I have made here, the fun that we have had together.

Benjamin Chung
翱翔班

颐和园与圆明园，两个规模巨大的园林，让我了解了中国以前享有的富裕、文明，以及皇朝背后的高傲与腐败的后果。

首先去游览的是颐和园。那时刚好下了一场大雪，给已经让人迷惑的颐和园风景再添上一层纯洁的白毯。一边沿着大湖旁的行道上走，一边欣赏着秀美的雪中湖景。在未亲自来到颐和园所看到的照片大多数都描绘着颐和园的春秋风景。虽然冬天没春秋时期如此夺目的花朵开放、树叶随风飘浮，但是代替的是在太阳普照之下闪闪发光、已经结冰的大湖和一颗颗盖满雪的树木。寒风在我脸庞呼呼地吹着，似乎代表大自然提醒我，在一年里无论是什么季节，大自然依然能呈献一个让人难以忘怀的美景。

接着，我们做了短程的巴士到了附近的圆明园。众所周知，今日圆明园的“风景”恐怕比不上颐和园，可是幸好在我还没来到圆明园之前已经看过了一部有关圆明园历史的影片。如果没事先了解圆明园的历史，像一般的旅客到此一游，肯定会觉得白走一趟、相机也白拿了。圆明园的西洋楼遗址似乎是“仅仅一堆石头，周围留下一片尘土和野草，就像一场被遗弃的建筑工程”。但是身为一名炎黄子孙，看到了这“堆石头”，我深深感触到了历史上中华民族在西方文明霸国手下所尝过的羞辱与折磨。中国清朝三代皇帝费尽心思和财富（有时到了劳民伤财的地步）修建与扩大当时皇帝的离宫居所，被侵犯的西方军队以一把大火和三天三夜的时间通通烧毁。让人可耻的事，在西方军队的攻击下，清兵毫无能力抵抗，但是原因并不在于西方军队的力量，而是因为当时的皇帝不务正业，以为中国文明社会各方面已经到了无法超越的地步，因此不再为中国不进则退的发展而担忧。这样一来，虽然燃烧圆明园是西方军队残暴、野蛮的举动，但是皇帝的疏忽使自己所受的耻辱似乎是咎由自取。

另一方面，圆明园之事体现出了东西两大文明之间的冲突，在今世依然存在。虽然今世各国已懂得尽量避免对任何一方有弊无利的战争，但是世界走向天下太平的最终目标还有很大的距离。希望中国身为即将升起的东方大国，将会以圆明园历史的经验当一位负责任的世界首领，永远以那场羞耻作为前车之鉴。

蒋怀德
凯旋班

这一周，我们有机会到颐和园以及圆明园游览。这两个地方让我最难忘。

颐和园是中国现存规模最大，保存最完整的皇家园林。它是利用昆明湖、万寿山为机址、还以扬名海外的杭州西湖风景为蓝本。当日，我感觉自己仿佛进入了一个新的世界。

颐和园的风景真的是太迷人了。直到今日，我仍然无法以实际的言语描绘当日所望见的美景。当日，我们十分庆幸只因为当我们抵达颐和园的时候突然下起了雪。冬天的颐和园再配上突如其来的小雪可说是画龙点睛。

见到冬天美丽的颐和园，我感觉自己必须放慢脚步，只因为若自己加快了脚步似乎对不起这颐和园冬天的景色。

圆明园让人的感觉则恰恰相反。圆明园本当是一个比颐和园更加巨大又更加漂亮的清朝园林。传说圆明园的每一处都摆放着各种高价文化艺术品，价值连城。

但是，当年的鸦片战争，英法联军，英格兰与法兰西的联盟将这一切都摧毁。清朝末年，王室权利薄弱屡次被外国侵犯。鸦片战争中，英法联军打败了清王朝并为了在北京城留下自己的足迹以及影响，抢走了所有的金银财宝后而将圆明园一把火烧了。

今日的圆明园只剩下了几块石头，让人看了不经觉得特别心酸。本当拥有的珍贵文化，在一场三天三夜的大火中瞬间毁灭，永远消失于历史之中。

我们在北京卫星校园的旅程已经接近尾声。这一周的活动让我一生难忘，一个让人难忘的美景，一个让人感觉心酸的遗址。这是如此大的反差!反差中更加凸显了我心中对于两个园林的心灵感受。

蔡登全
翱翔班

Over the past week, we have been to many places like the 2008 Olympics venues such as the Water Cube（水立方）and Bird’s Nest (鸟巢), but the place that has left the deepest impression on me is probably Yuan Ming Yuan （圆明园）.

Before watching the movie of Yuan Ming Yuan’s history on Friday evening, I knew next to nothing about it. However, after watching the movie, I understood the significance of the place, as it had lasted through the centuries as one of China’s greatest palace-and-garden complexes. When I walked through Yuan Ming Yuan on Saturday, I tried to imagine the place before it was looted and burnt. I was sure that it was as beautiful as the movie had portrayed it to be. Even though the current state of the palace is a mere pile of rubble, it is admirable that the Chinese people kept it as a reminder to themselves to constantly improve. As the Chinese saying “卧薪尝胆” goes, 卧薪 constantly reminded himself of his failure, leading him to eventually regain his kingdom; similarly, the ruins of Yuan Ming Yuan could have been a contributing factor to China’s rise as it is a constant reminder of China’s failure in the past.

On another note, there is less than a week before the end of BSC, and I believe I speak for everyone when I say that I am reluctant for BSC to come to an end. Over the past five weeks, we have enjoyed ourselves, made new friends and understood more of China’s history and culture. However, as the Chinese saying “天下无不散之宴席” goes, every good thing has to come to an end. At the end of BSC, the only things that we will be able to keep with us are the memories and the friends. While we are still in BSC, we should try to enjoy it as much as we can before we finally return to Singapore.

Benjamin Ng Kai Cong
凯旋班

This week was a special week because it was the New Year week. New Year’s Day, being a universally celebrated holiday, is celebrated in China too. Thus, preparations and rehearsals were in full swing to prepare for this once-a-year event at 二附中. Decorations adorned the walls of the multi-purpose hall, and the whole school was immersed in the festive mood.

Rehearsals and practices were carried out by classes of students all over the school and we were no exception - we were included in the 二附中 “family” and a performance was required of us too. The teachers selected what they deemed suitable for the New Year event from our BSC batch’s Christmas celebration performances. They finally settled on a dance routine and a couple of songs - “朋友”to commemorate the friendships forged during the BSC trip, and “那些年” to celebrate and remember the memorable six weeks we spent together. The New Year celebration was a blast and I felt that apart from a few hiccups, the performance we put up was a resounding success.

This week, we also visited the world-renowned Marco Polo Bridge. Marco Polo described it as the most beautiful bridge he had ever seen in his travels. The bridge has a rich history of 800 years and this has deep historical significance. The bridge boasts hundreds of lion statues in different poses. Its grandeur was everything as Marco Polo had described.

We also paid a visit to the War Memorial Museum. The museum recounted the events and history of World War II and the Japanese invasion of China. It showcased the atrocities committed by the Japanese during the invasion, and the hardships that the Chinese had to go through. It was truly heartwrenching, and even somewhat disturbing, walking through and viewing the various photos and artefacts in the museum. The museum taught us a lot about the war and gave us numerous insights from the Chinese perspective. The whole experience further compounded our belief that war should be avoided, and that peace is the way to go.

Cheong Sheng
翱翔班

My first footsteps on the grounds of the dilapidated 沙河学校 marked the start of what, I dare say, would be an impactful experience that changed my life.

Having been “spoon-fed” the past 10 years of my Singapore school life, I realized upon stepping into 沙河学校 that such fortune was not shared equally around the world. Seeing the peeling walls and unhygienic conditions there, I wondered what I did to deserve my comfortable life back in Singapore. Things as simple, as routine as clean latrines have desensitized me from the cold hard truth: that there are less affluent people who spend their entire lives in such torrid conditions. This led me to ask myself about the consequences and implications that arise from living in a materialistic world such as ours. Finding happiness in the little things in life is a valuable trait which, unfortunately, many of us lose at a tender age. When was the last time we were thankful for the kind of lives we live? With this in mind, I promised myself: If even for a day, an hour, two periods, I would make the children I was teaching happy and feel the joy that every child should feel. As soon as the bell rang, I set out on my mission with my team mates.

Leaving the school after a fruitful couple hours ignited a mix of several emotions within me. A whirlwind of pain, anguish, hope and love tore at my heart and mind. The uncertainty that shrouds the lives of these pre-school children, and the fact that their innocence makes them oblivious to their plight worried me. I can only hope that the conditions in school and at home turn better for them, and that they can remain in school for an education. This CIP experience in Beijing is indeed a very impactful experience that I would no doubt hold close to my heart for years to come…

Charles Low Yu Jie
翱翔班

在北京已经四周了。渐渐地，我们这群新家坡人早已不知不觉地习惯了离乡背井（没那么夸张)，独立的北京生活了。还记得四个星期前，我们刚到北京时，最受不了的就是寒冷的天气。回想起那时的感受与现在比起来有明显的天渊之别。四个星期，还不到我们六星期之旅的末期，已经有极大的改变了。我学会了独立，不再饭来张口，衣来升手了。同时，我野蛮想念家，想念我的家人与朋友，但是多两个星期就能见到他们了。再者，我们也有时常保持联络，所以这并不是个大问题。

这是我第一次来到了一个有冬天的地方。更幸运的是我有机会见到雪！当时看到雪往地面飘时，我心里忽然感到兴奋，迫不及待地想要跑出教室，到外玩雪。雪虽然下得不大，但是那还是我第一次见到雪，已经非常心满意足了。这真的是多么无比的快乐啊！

张博涵
凯旋班

转眼间，超过一半的BSC 日子已过去了。我也“胡乱”地闯过了这一些日子。

这一星期发生了各种各样不同的事情，有好的也有坏的。我们这一星期可庆幸的是我们得到了一个全新体验：我们都被分配到北京市范二附中不同的班级去上课。我在上这些浸儒课程之前有许多懊恼的问题，比如要怎么面对课程是用华文上的情形，以及要从哪着手去交新朋友。

我第一天去到班上时， 我极为尴尬。高二四班的同学全都把目光转向我们三个人。我们自我介绍后就到我们被分配的位置去坐。坐我旁边的是一个非常安静的女生而第一堂课是英文课。可能是不太熟悉或者刚认识， 我们两都无话可谈，静悄悄地坐在一起听课。我认为那些中学生应该是以为我们不会讲华语所以对我们非常冷漠，没跟我们说话。

面对这样的情形，我下了一个决心：我要和我同桌的同学做朋友。从那天起，我试着每一节都和我的同学讲话，多认识她一些。一个星期过去后，全部的课程结束了，我也成功地解开了我和同桌同学之间的冷淡。也许他们起初因为面临即将来临考试的压力而表现得比较不理不睬，好像带有一种抗拒感似的，但对彼此熟悉一点了以后，我认为他们还是很友善的。我觉得二附中的学生跟我们比起来也更加的用功。这是值得我们学习的。我如果还有机会的话，希望有再次与北京市范大学二附中的学生一起上课的机会。

除了浸儒经验以外，我这一星期也经历了差点成为小偷受害者的经验。虽然这不是件好事，但既然钱财没遗失，那也就算了吧。这一周里我还漫游了北京西部的地区，到了烤肉季吃了丰富的一餐。总的来说，这一星期我过的非常地愉快。

欧益铭
凯旋班