Day 5

Visit to Overseas Chinese Museum (Day 5) (30/10/2014)

We headed to the Overseas Chinese Museum in the morning and the students received a short lecture by Professor Chen Yu-Ming. She gave a fascinating lecture on the history of surnames and the traditional rituals of Hokkien weddings. The students were engaged during the lecture and paid full attention to what Professor Chen shared.

After the interesting lecture by Professor Chen, we explored the museum and learnt more about the lives of Chinese migrants who went overseas to work and live from the 18^th century.

We learned about the hard work Chinese migrants had put in throughout history. We also learnt about the contributions overseas Chinese have made to society. It was a great learning experience for us as we step into history. 

Day Four

Visit to Overseas Chinese School (Day 4) (29/10/2014)

We went to Overseas Chinese School today to teach a class of young students how to play the Angklung. Although we only got a chance to interact with them for a short while, we had a great time teaching them how to play the song, Singapura, on the Angklung. Thereafter, we learnt Wushu from Mr. Hong, one of the Wushu teachers there. We had fun learning some basic Chinese martial arts moves. He was such an expert in this ancient martial arts form!

We also presented a gift of appreciation to the Principal of Overseas Chinese School, Mr Zheng.

Mr Zheng, in turn, presented a gift to our school as well. This is his school’s motto, beautifully written in Chinese calligraphy. 

The teachers of Overseas Chinese School with our teachers.

After the visit to Overseas Chinese School, we made our way to the ferry terminal to have our lunch before heading to Gu Lang Yu. Here are the highlights of our trip to Gu Lang Yu. Enjoy!

A traditional puppet show at Gu Lang Yu

Day Three

Visit to the Tan Kah Kee Museum / Turtle Garden/ Tan Kah Kee’s House and Jimei Middle School (Day 3) (28/10/2014)

We headed to Tan Kah Kee Museum in the morning and went back in history to learn about the life of Tan Kah Kee. Through the contributions he had made to society, the students learnat the importance of our school’s SPICE values.

After the visit to Tan Kah Kee Museum, the students went to visit the home of Mr Tan Kah Kee. We were very lucky and got enter his dining room and bedroom to view. The students learnt more about his simple ways of living from the visit to his humble abode.

After a good lunch, we went back to Jimei Middle School and taught the students how to play the Angklung. They were enthusiastic and were attentive while learning to play our folksong. Thereafter, the students had a game of Soccer and Captain’s ball. The evening ended with dinner at Jimei Middle School.

Day Two - 27 Oct 2014

This morning, we made our way to Jimei Middle School.  When we reached the school, we saw throngs of students making their way to the expansive school field.  All the students of Jimei Middle school were gathered at the field for their morning assembly.  We noticed that the students from Jimei Middle School are well-behaved and stood up straight for their flag-raising ceremony.  Just like our school’s Breakfast with Choices sharing every Tuesday, the students here at Jimei Middle School also share their personal work and thoughts in the mornings during assembly.  Today’s message was a heartfelt speech by a girl about the importance of working hard and persevering for one one’s dreams.  It was a good start for the day.

After assembly, we made our way to meet our buddies from one of the classes.  These students are from Xinjiang and they are now in a preparatory class to prepare them for their semester in Jimei Middle School.  They have only been here in Xiamen for two months.  We joined them for a Computer ICT lesson first followed by their English lesson.  Our teachers, Ms Chua, Ms Feng and Mr Tan taught them a lesson in English.  We played a game of idioms and we guided our buddies to complete the quiz using our school’s Activ Response handheld devices ( To use this, we basically need to key our answers into the device and the computer will register the answers for us).  We had a whale of a time figuring out what the idioms mean from some pictures displayed.  We also got along pretty well with our buddies.  Melwin even found out that his buddy, Marshall, likes the same music he does! 

After a quick and filling lunch at the school canteen, we made our way to the “Guaipo” at Xianyue Hill Reserve.  It was amazing to see how our full bottles of water could roll up a downward slope! We were amused by what we saw and took many photographs at the “Guaipo”.  Thereafter, we headed back to the temple.  This time, we toured in the temple and admired the beautiful Buddha statues.  Following which, we went to Hulishan Fortress Cannon and were just in time to catch a live firing of a cannon.  The whole performance began with a dance by a group of men dressed in traditional Qing Dynasty guard costumes.  Loud and majestic music accompanied the dance and the “guards” made their way up the hill to a fort.  There was a short ritualistic display of the preparation for the live firing and before we knew it, all of us were startled by a massive, loud boom from the cannon!  We then explored the area further, learning more about how and when the fortress was constructed.  We also learnt how the cannon was introduced to China during the Qing dynasty.  Most importantly, we admired the beautiful scenery of the Xiamen Island coast.  It was a good end to a fruitful day.

Dinner was at the General Restaurant, which we thoroughly enjoyed, with its stir-fried xiao bai cai, stewed duck and steamed fish.  Full and gratified, we made our way back to the hotel to rest and complete our reflections.  Here are some takeaways for the two days here so far! J

Jiayi’s Reflection (1^st Day)

I used to think that people in China are not good in English.

Now I think it is not always the case, people from China can speak and understand English well.

I say that because the tour guide spoke English very well.

Paulyn (1^st Day)

At Xiamen University, I saw its school motto and thought it was very inspiring and meaningful. The first four words of the motto means to never stop being resilient and the next four words mean to always be kind and helpful. I thought these are words to live by.

Philene (2^nd Day)

Today, we visited Jimei Middle School and I thought that the students are very organised and independent.

Jasmine (2^nd Day)

I noticed that the students here are very eager to learn. They are always trying to answer questions and take notes.

Joanne (2^nd Day)

Assembly was very serious and the students are very disciplined. They are well-behaved during assembly and their lessons.

Isabel (2^nd Day)

I thought that the students here are much more independent than the students in Singapore. After having their lunch, they will clear their plates. They also show great respect towards everyone. They are also very welcoming.

Danial Khan (2^nd Day)

The students at Jimei Middle School were very friendly. They even gave up their seats to us when there were not enough seats.

Day One

We arrived at Xiamen about noon.  The weather is cooling and pleasant.

Our first destination was a Buddhist Temple, where we enjoyed a sumptuous vegetarian lunch before touring the temple.

Our next stop was the Xiamen University, which included a visit to the lake.

Our bags are packed.  We have polished and packed the Angklung pieces which we will be bringing with us.  We have also been practicing the pieces which we will be performing.  We are ready and looking forward to our Xiamen trip.