Dalian Immersion Program

Chiok Jun Hua Ivan
Singapore Polytechnic
Diploma in Experience and Product Design

Week 1, Day 2

Today was the day that we finally had our first personal time to venture around Dalian and the school. The outlook of the school was wonderful. Never did I imagine a school so big and spacious. Places such as the basketball court, infested by groups of basketball lovers playing in the chilling weather, huge crowd of dancers dancing in the studios and streets and even badminton playing on the middle of the road. Every thing seems so united and everyone seems so close to each other in the campus. It was as though traveling through time into the past where simple thing seems so important in the building of each individual. Nothing is taken for granted over here. Examples, the weather is just an indication to what activities and practices to do during each season. During spring, the weather may be cold but it is the best time to enjoy the cold by playing sport outdoor in the wide open space and spending time close together with their love ones by hugging one another or staying close in groups forming portable human heating surrounding. Not forgetting the way student dress over here where they could dress as thick and stylish as they want compared to Singapore which does not allow us to do so all year round.

Continuing… Today was the first day where the entire 67 students attended the common gems specially created for us. The lecturer whom we are assigned to is Professor Sun Xiao-Cheng. One common thing that I was grateful about was that he could speak English and the passion I can see in his teaching just like the lectures I have over in Singapore Polytechnic. An introduction was conducted by him on the first day of class while it unrolled the interest and knowledge in us about Dalian as a city that is just 110 years in age. Even though back in around 500 years, there were already people living on the same piece of land now known as Dalian one of the most living places in China. Population ca.6million (downtown 2 million) Professor Sun also talked about may economic knowledge about Dalian such as the agriculture, industries, port and foreign trade, places of exhibitions and most importantly the emerging business for IT-software and finance which is a growing market in Dalian. This particularly two market is one of the most money churning industries that provides a much better pay. However the most interesting part of the lesson which is also where I paid double attention to was the places of interest that I hope to visit during the days in Dalian. One includes the Strange Slope also called the Gui Puo in Chinese. We were told that things travel in the opposite direction from the way we see things. Example when the ground seems like slopping down, in actual we are walking up a slope. It is the disconnected link between the visual and the physical aspect that makes the place so mystical and interesting. Beside the Gui Puo there are even more to discover in Dalian as it is also a land for seafood, fruits!, sport (China so called Man-United in china), industrial sites, architectural, transportations and festivals that is held during the stay. I also hope to step out even further into place that I had never been before which could only give myself an eye opening chance to places I had never been before.

12:00 AM ·