Day 17

WOooooo~ today is the eve of CHINA National Day.

Weather: Fine and cooling
Temperature: 27 degree Celsius

Had lesson in morning and afternoon, both are PM!

Around the evening, we went to the vegetarian restaurant in addition to response to the restaurant owner invitation. The owner, preferred to be called as 阿正, wants to be the host of the night by inviting all his customers and friends to come together and enjoy the hot steam boat. As usual, the host greeted and seated us upon reaching the place.

We were caught surprised that he had close for business in order to reserve the place for the guests. I believe it is their custom to treat all foreigners with the highest possible level of courtesy.






As you can see, the host taught jamie how to make her very own spring rolls.

So, why did I say they are treating us very good? The friends of his are behaving like him =X They believes having body contact is an interaction between friends. Whereas in Singapore, we probably will felt offended or threatened due to invasion of privacy.

Nevertheless, we have accepted their custom and enjoyed the dinner with them. Moreover, I have learnt from them, it is only during festival period that the local stores will bring out the fireworks products for sales. Unlike Malaysia, the purchasing of fireworks are not at the random fruit stores. But the products can be found around the street’s road side stall (路边摊).

Also, it is truth that the usage of spoon or scoop placed on the table means there is a distance between the fellow diners; it is used only during formal occasion like company annual dining.

The local’s impression about Singapore is that she is a FINE city. Impression of FINE city as in smoking fines, littering fines, traffic fines, and other many more penalties…

Nevertheless, they are looking forward to visit Singapore causing our class mates are been doing the food and snacking history about Singapore! We surprised them by that Singaporeans cannot live without supper, as they do not practice supper as often for health reasons!

Personal Reflection/Feelings:

I felt so honored to be invited for dinner! Local’s 热情 and 亲切感 touched us. We will want to give him a present before we return to Singapore. I believe that Singaporean should look forward to learn from the courtesy of customer service, in such a way that treats your customers as friends, rather than just a trade. Definitely, it will be beneficial to Singapore’s economy!

Well, I will pass on the story of my trip in Wuhan, and let as many people know about Wuhan’s people’s friendliness.

Day 16

Good evening bloggie~~

Event of the day: Coca Cola Manufacturing Plant (Wuhan) visit
Temperature: 26 degree Celsius
Event Duration: Whole Morning!

Rise and shine, woke up very early for today’s visit to COCA-COLA (HUBEI) BEVERAGES LIMITED.

Background information:
Coca-cola beverage has been one of the world’s most popular beverages, promoting satisfaction and joy to its consumers, and coca-cola company is one of the most respected companies in the world. The drink is originated from a candy store owned by Joseph A. Biedenharn in 1886. At that time, Joseph was only selling an average of nine bottles per day; compared to the daily sales of today is about 1.5 billion bottles per day! Slowly, coca-cola has become one of the world’s most recognized trademarks.

Now, coca-cola company produces more than 600 kinds of products. The four most popular sellers are Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta and Diet Coke. In China, coca-cola has successful build up an image as such that the drink represents prosperity and happiness; hence became a household domestic enjoyment. That was the objective the company had hoped to achieve when they started investing in China market with 1.6 billion dollars, setting up plants all over the provinces. And now, the company has succeeded in setting up 25 manufacturing plants in China, with one of them in Wuhan.

The staff actually showed the video of the Wuhan province company's history.

After learning the history of the company, we are being quizzed! Out of the three, I answered correctly regarding the top four products of the company, and I won myself a handbag =X

Later, the batch is being brought to a passage way above the manufacturing areas. It is something like an overhead path that has the overlooking views of all part of the manufacturing plant. Firstly, the empty plastic bottles are being produced and arranged into the filling machine. Then the filled bottles will be capped. Final stage was the packaging of the bottles into huge cartons and stacked neatly into warehouse which is done manually.




Personal Reflection/Feelings:

The entrepreneur of bring this drink into a multi-million business is very admirable. Moreover, the manufacturing area are very well organized, as the most machinery areas are blocked off the access of unskilled, packaging workers. I suppose this is a measure of the product quality and human safety. Moreover, the trip has benefited me with knowledge of the drink’s come about and it’s amazing history! I LOVE COKE~!

Day 15

Hello again, blog~ today’s main event is the visit to WISCO STEEL MANUFACTURING Co. (武钢产区).

Weather: Wet
Temperature: 25 degree Celsius
Meeting time: 8am



The batch of ISCM, LGMT, and ISCT students meet up at the study block to collect helmets. The similar event happened again~ rushed to wait, waited to rush; collection of helmet takes 20 mins.

And so! Why are we collecting our helmets? It is because we are visiting the WISCO, Wuhan Iron and Steel Corp., which was found in 1958 in Qingshan, Wuhan, Hubei, China. Moreover, it was said to be China’s first supergiant iron and steel complex. The company is producing more than 10 million tons of iron and steel every year!








The batch of ISCM, LGMT, and ISCT students meet up at the study block to collect helmets. The similar event happened again~ rushed to wait, waited to rush; collection of helmet takes 20 mins.

And so! Why are we collecting our helmets? It is because we are visiting the WISCO, Wuhan Iron and Steel Corp., which was found in 1958 in Qingshan, Wuhan, Hubei, China. Moreover, it was said to be China’s first supergiant iron and steel complex. The company is producing more than 10 million tons of iron and steel every year!






The batch are being brought to the passage way where the whole process are being seen LIVE. From the very start, hot steel which is just made out of the furnace is easily lesser than 15 meters away from us. As the red glowing steel was cooled by water and being compressed to longer and thinner shape as it moved to the packing by the rollers. Here’s a footage video I have taken down.

Once reached the rolling machine, the steel piece has already turned into long steel sheet that is to be rolled up for as packed steel. Right after being packed and strapped, it will be going through the quality inspection and labeling of serial number by the QA department. The steel process from the start to the final inspection takes about lesser than five minutes.

The reason behind the end product to be in a wheel shape, I think, is easier for handling. Wheel-shaped product center of gravity will be easier to be determined compared with full-piece shaped.

End products that are not up to the expected quality will be either removal of the part where it’s dented/out of shape, or be reused as raw material.
The lunch was ordered from the vegetarian restaurant, 依雅轩, about 13 people shared a table as you can see =x





Personal Reflection/Feelings:

The plant only requires the least number of labours for checking and movement of steel rolls. Most of the process are being processed and handled by the machines. In this way, not only the safety of human lives is kept at the lowest level, the efficiency of the manufacturing are to the highest level too.

It is an good exposure towards manufacturing industries, giving us the experience and have a rough idea on the industry we will want to work on in future. Nevertheless, the visit is also giving me the thought of 饮水思源. Steel are not just easily brought from a construction warehouse, but to be processed of many times until it reaches the procurement stage. Many thanks to the technology breakthrough by the inventors, lives of human are made easier.

Day 14

Yawns!!! Yesterday is such a tiring day! Today we will be having lessons throughout the day. It’s a wet day. The first lesson is about OIE, Ms Grace taught. It is a lesson about China philosophy and religion.

Here are a few things she taught:
Confucianism, it represents the way of life followed by the Chinese people for well over 2,000 years. The influence of Confucianism is so predominant that if anyone should be asked to characterize in one word traditional Chinese life and culture, that word would be “Confucian.” Secondly, Ms Grace also went through with the story of Kong Zi, who is the found of Confucianism.

The Confucianism focused in six main criteria: Humanity, Rite (propriety), Rectification of Names, Doctrine of the Mean, Heaven and the Spirits, and Government by Virtue.
Not only Kong Zi, but also studied about Meng Zi, Xun Zi, Lao Zi, Zhuang Zi, Han Fei, etc. Ms Grace taught us through power point presentation and cartoons method =D Very interesting.

Afternoon lesson is about PM practical, which is quite worrying, as there is too much to catch up every time the lesson end.

Today is also Zhen Zhao birthday celebration; the class planned a surprise for him! We had act as if we did not care and remember his birthday for the whole day. All the people are gathered at the restaurant nearby the shopping centre and waited patiently for the birthday boy to come (He is led blindly by his group after their project discussion). As soon as he arrives, the cake is lighted up and the birthday song begins! Fantastic dinner went on after the blowing of candles! Hope he enjoyed his 19th birthday celebration!

Personal Reflection/Feelings:

It’s another day of culture understanding. Regardless of how many times I have repeated, the Chinese culture is so 博大精深! Their culture is so interesting!

Not forgetting to mention, today’s is ZhenZhao birthday, it is always a good thing to be able to celebrate a classmate’s birthday together as a class. It represents the unity of the class! It is his second birthday spent with us and this time, it is happening in CHINA! HAHA! Hope he enjoyed!

Day 13

DAY THREE! WEEEEEE woke up at 6 to take last few photos! The stairs are quite unbearable to be apart, the destiny between the soft bed, toilet seat and me is going to mark an end!!! SOB!

Had the breakfast after photo shooting, went off the ship and climb up the steps of the dock in the stylish way! Haha! The dock is offering elevator, charging 2 Yuan for each up/down ride! Looks like the locals is really good at doing business. Despite their limitation of little visitors that come to visit, they try to make the attraction to be more creative and memorable! And that’s right; it’s a ride that I can hardly forget!




Today’s scope of visit will be going to the big dam and dinner at one of the top restaurants of 宜昌. Before seeing the dam itself, I have thought that the dam is just about the size of marina barrage, maybe being built up for the sake of pollution controlling measures… Well, that was before I was given the ticket and board the bus. The site is only accessible by coach bus. I strongly believe this is one of the attempts to control the crowd.

One of the decoration of the coach station =x

Upon reaching the 长江三峡大坝, my mouth gently opens wider and wider! It is so gigantic! I was unable to identify the end of this dam! As being filled in by the guide, the dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River that had earned itself a reputation of world’s largest electricity-generating plant. The purpose of the dam is not only about producing electricity that supplies cities in its’ 1000 km radius, it also increases the river’s shipping capacity and reducing the potential flooding at downstream by providing flood storage spaces. China regards this project as historic engineering, social and economic success.











Soon after we finished sighting the attraction, we board on the bus and had sumptuous lunch at 宜昌食家庄 (restaurant) before the 4 hours bus ride back to WUST.

On the way back, we experienced heavy traffic jam and witness the aftermath of a container-related accident. However, the accident venue is only left with a damaged container which apparently contains tons of cabbage with a lot of passer by collecting the spattered cargo. It is amazing how one accident can jam up the whole stretch of road. We were jammed for like an hour and that is pretty lucky as the driver said it usually can jam up to half a day on the highway.




Personal Reflection/Feelings:

The trip is worthy of going. The experiences are not being able to be described by words. I have grew a more indepth knowing of China's culture. There is a reason for Chinese to be so proud of being the citizen of their nation, and I am going to find out as much as I could. 所谓中国五千年历史，博大精深！ The overseas stay is less than 23 days to go.

Day 12

Day two for the win!!!Woke up and went for breakfast at 7am! The ship crew prepared very light taste breakfast for us. Why did I say it is light? Cos its bun, bread and porridge for breakfast!!! Oh my~ it’s simply tasteless. Thanks for the side dishes that accompanying with it.

The first stop of the cruise is at the second gorge, where we will alight the boat and take on little ferries into the third gorge, where the source of water is from.
As you can see from the pictures, there are many layers that build up the mountains. As confirmed by the ferryman, this place used to be active volcanoes. The layers are resulted from many volcano’s eruptions!

Amazing Happenings:
While I am walking along the sidewall of the mountain path, I saw several visitors hit against the mountain’s wall to achieve little stone pieces! They picked them up and throw into the stream of water. Oh man, they really shouldn’t do that… (oops, did I mention I took one of the leftover stones? Haha =P)

The ferryman! Had some chances to chat with him! I have learnt that he earns only about 600 Yuan a month, and he had to feed a family of three! His working hours are from 8am to 8pm! Oh man! We, the Singaporeans, are really fortunate!
The ferry ride is about two hours. Went back to the cruise and had my lunch! It is my first time to taste of their very local potato leaves!!! It is SUPER delicious!!! Love it!

We rested and rested until about 5pm and the ship has reached 诗城博物馆. We have to pass through several ships’ lower deck in order to reach to the extended dock. Below is one of the shoots I happen to pass-by, a kitchen, not intending to comment!



As soon as we get to the dock, we are given tickets to the main attraction of the place! It is call 白帝城, where 刘备 had once conquered and accommodated about centuries ago!

The most exciting part of the visit is the imitation of the artifacts that used to be there! The doors have very high humps, this is to make sure the visitors into the 府 (house) will bend down and bow when they are to enter the house!

Moreover, the main hall is actually positioned on top of the hill that takes 420 steps to get there! Very interesting experience!


Personal Reflection/Feelings:

These visits highlighted the rich historic heritage that China has successfully preserved. I am growing more and more interested about the story behind the China! If there is a chance, I would really want to visit sites like 赤壁，万里长城, and get to know more of their values. Nevertheless, I am much honored that being a Singaporean, we also have a story behind us, the story that says how Singapore grow into such a powerful multi-racial harmony country!