Visit to Universities in Beijing - Shane Yan

The China leg of the Sino-Sing exchange began with our visit to Peking University affectionately known as ‘yi ta hu tu’ or ‘一塌糊涂’ by students from 北大. The reason for the name is because the university is known for its ‘ta3’ （塔）or pagoda, its ‘tu2’ (图) or library and its ‘hu2’ （湖）or lake. Taking a tour around the school, we were mesmerized by the presence of such beauty that lay within the premises of the university. As we walked along the lake (未名湖), we were also told that this was the very place which inspired many literary works and it would be highly possible that any one of the older gentlemen by the lake is a pronounced poet. Such culture, heritage and beauty…many of us commented that if we had this in our school, it would definitely be one of the best chill out place be it to hang out with friends or to sit under a tree to study. But of course, when one considers the weather that Singapore has, such a thought would need much reconsideration.

Unlike our visit to Peking University, we had the luxury of time at Ren Ming University. The most memorable of the visit to the school was the kite flying activity held at the stadium. As many of us had not flown a kite before, we were filled with excitement. Within a few minutes of presenting us with the beautiful kites, students could be seen running across the field in all directions trying to get their kites into the air. After many desperate attempts at trying to get our kite into the air, Darren and I gave up and went to join others (who had also failed in getting their kites up into the air) in chatek which was short-lived because we soon grew interested in the taiji class that was happening on the track. To the embarrassment of the teacher in charge who suddenly found that there were over 10 pairs of foreign eyes watching him, we spontaneously stood at the back of the class and made fools of ourselves trying to follow the teacher’s actions or the actions of the Chinese students in front of us. The lesson was very interesting and it made me realize why such a sport, as with other things like tradition, is kept burning brightly in China while it is in danger of extinction in Singapore. In Singapore where physical exercise (PE) lessons are about running or playing ball games of some sort, taiji is seen as an exercise for elderly people and it would not have crossed our minds as plausible for students to be learning it in school. Pondering on it, I think teaching students taiji would certainly give them a headstart and provide them with an activity to occupy themselves in future. Ostensibly, what goes into a curriculum is very important for inculcating or preserving values or skills in people.

Anyway, back to kite-flying. We finally realized that it wasn’t that we were horrible and kite flying but rather, it was because the kite we had originally was faulty and could not fly. Borrowing another group’s kite before we packed up to move on to our next activity, we took less than a few seconds to get our kite soaring in the air. It was an achievement.

Something else that really impressed me that day was the quality of the acting skills of the graduating students. We had the opportunity to catch a drama performance; ‘Staircase’ by a group of graduating students who came from all fields of life but had a common interest in acting. Although the script was passé, the acting was fabulous and was much better than any of the university productions I have ever seen back in Singapore. The facial expressions, the emotions, the confidence, the intonations…the entire package was a show worth remembering. Perhaps it was because of the language that made the performance even more heartwarming. After spending time in China, I have grown to love the language and realize that there are things that when said in Chinese, sounds a whole lot nicer, more sincere and harmless than when it is expressed in English. It also creates a more intimate feeling between people.

China, with its rich heritage, culture, scenery, language and of course the many friends made, you really cannot help but fall in love with it.