On 13 December 2012, a group of 20 Business China Youth Chapter (BCYC) members embarked on a 10-day China Learning Journey to Beijing and Tianjin. Organised by Business China for the third year running, the trip was supported by China’s Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban) and administered by the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE).
Through cultural immersion as well as multi-channel interactions with the local Chinese, Business China hopes to provide an effective platform for the participating Singaporean youths to gain holistic and in-depth understanding of contemporary China. The trip also aims to motivate these active youth members to build friendships and networks with professionals and students in China as basis for future cooperations.
This year, the BCYC took up the responsibility of planning most of the itinerary, which comprised of business, socio-political, technological and cultural factors – including visits to governmental organisations, multi-national corporations, cultural and historical sites, as well as interactive sessions with Singaporean professionals working in Beijing and local youths studying in renowned China universities.
This group of like-minded BCYC members hailed from National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Jurong Junior College and Catholic Junior College. They were all interested in China and passionate about learning more about China’s contemporary developments. The three junior college students were selected to join this short-term immersion trip as winners of the Distinction prize for their report submitted to the 5th China Studies Seminar.
Interacting with the local tertiary students
Beijing’s temperature hit this winter’s lowest during BCYC’s 10-day visit, and the tropical youths had the double happiness of experiencing heavy snowfalls on 2 different days. Despite the chilly and inhospitable weather, the BCYC members were excited at the sight of a winter wonderland and quickly spread their excitement to the local students.
During the opening session at UIBE, students from both countries discussed similarities and differences over ‘Employment vs Entrepreneurship’ in each other’s countries. In another interaction session with students from Peking University and Tsinghua University, BCYC members had the chance to learn local Chinese perspectives on the latest Chinese leadership transition from International Relations scholar Professor Yang Zhaohui.
A young entrepreneur and current undergraduate from the National University of Singapore, Lu Xin said: “This trip to Beijing helped me better understand the China market in terms of society, culture and economy. Dialogues and conversations with companies, Singaporean professionals and top universities’ students provided holistic insights to the business and living environment in Beijing. I’m now more prepared and excited to do business in China.”
When asked about her experience of discussing politics with China students for the first time, Monica Ng from Singapore Polytechnic said that she was very impressed with the local students’ in-depth knowledge about the country’s political system, which made her realised the importance of strengthening her own knowledge.
The youths from both countries also adjourn to one of the oldest alleyways in Beijing, the Nan Luo Gu Xiang (南锣鼓巷), to play an “Amazing-Race like” game in search of the five flavours of salty, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy in five local favourites. The race certainly heightened their Beijing food experience, and spiced up the bonding with their China friends.
Besides local students, the group also met up, in the name of Christmas, with Singaporean students studying in Beijing. It was a night of Singlish-speaking, merry-making and study-life notes exchanging which bonded the Singapore youths with uniquely Singaporean cultural traits in this foreign land.
Visiting governmental organisations and private corporations
The Singapore companies visited included Quest VC, CapitaLand’s luxurious residential project – Beaufort, its wholly-owned serviced residence – Ascott, and Raffles City Beijing. Local China organisations who hosted us included Xinhua Net and Innovation Works.
During their official visit to the headquarters of Chinese Hanban and Confucius Institute, the participants shared their individual reflections on how this Beijing journey had expanded their horizon and expressed their gratitude to Hanban and UIBE for their tremendous support. At the Chinese Culture Experience Centre located in the Hanban building, interactive games and “live” props enticed the youths to experience China’s culture and contribution towards humanity and civilization in the most fun and creative way.
Apart from Beijing, the group also travelled to Tianjin via the ultra-modern high speed bullet train. During the 2-day intensive tour to Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, PSA International Pte Ltd and Sembcorp Wastewater Treatment Plant, they met up with the respective representatives and learnt the scalability and adaptibility of the Singapore models and how they, in future, can leverage on their bilingual and bicultural advantages to work there.
Learning from Singaporean professionals based in Beijing
One of the draws of the learning journey was to provide exclusive opportunities for BCYC members to gain insiders’ perspectives from Singaporean professionals based in China. This year, two China correspondents from The Straits Times, Mr Kor Kian Beng and Ms Grace Ng took time off to share their personal experiences of working in China. Topics discussed included the challenges and restrictions faced by media in China, among others. Teo Jion Chun from Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information said that it had been a fruitful session to be learning from professionals on the ground and gain a more realistic and objective understanding of the current situation in China.
Mr Abhilash Sarma and Mr Andrew Loo from SingCham also shared their combined wisdom generously with the students. The inspirational duo were candid and sincere with their comments and reminded the students to always uphold Singapore’s reputation wherever their life journey may carry them.
Experiencing cultural heritage
“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” Indeed, the trip provided the youths an opportunity to take a glance into the rich cultural heritage of the capital city of China.
During the trip, participants tried “Chinese Character Taichi”, Chinese calligraphy and the art of tea appreciation. They were also treated to a modern musical drama, “First Love”, by famous theatre director, Meng Jinghui.
On the second last day, they visited the Tiananmen Square located in the heart of Beijing city, as well as the largest ancient palatial structure in the world, the Forbidden City.
The 10-day journey, though short, had been intensive and comprehensive in its scope, intent and content. The China Learning Journey had not only broadened the participating youths’ horizons, it had also strengthened their bilingual and bicultural ability.
Concluding the journey, leader Lau Junjie said: “During this learning journey to Beijing and Tianjin, I felt like a sponge that was being thrown into a familiar yet foreign sea. Whilst in China, I saw how small this little red dot, Singapore, is and slowly I realised how ignorant and indifferent I was towards my immediate surroundings. Through interaction with the Chinese youths, I am truly impressed with their natural drive and determination towards life. It is the unwavering belief in themselves and their willpower to overcome any barriers that I truly aspire to learn from.”
About Business China Youth Chapter
The Business China Youth Chapter (BCYC) is a voluntary group spearheaded in early 2010 and supported by the Go East Committee. Studying at tertiary institutions, the BCYC is made up of Business China’s active student members. With these active members as role models, Business China hopes to inspire more Singaporean youths to aspire towards becoming bilingual and bicultural.