Culture and history in Guang Zhou

Guang Zhou

The night scenery along Guang Zhou River
(Picture taken from the compilation of pictures contributed by the student photographers)

My favourite place in the Pearl River Delta region has to be Guang Zhou. I could feel a sense of connection as I step upon the land of Guang Zhou. It felt as if I'm home! Partly because the region's main spoken language is Cantonese and my parents speak to me in Cantonese. I can easily communicate with the people at ease.. I also have a few distant relatives living in the Guang Dong province.. It's really a pity that I did not have enough time to meet up with them during the trip as we only had 3 days in Guang Zhou.

During my stay at Guang Zhou, I had learn a lot of history, legend and culture of Guang Zhou. One of the most amazing legend that I heard of during the trip was the legend about 五羊石像 (The five-ram sculpture).

IBSM- girls group picture at the foot of 五羊石像

五羊石像

(Picture taken from the compilation of pictures contributed by the student photographers)

It was built in 1959, it is one of the most famous sculpture in Guangzhou. The whole sculpture was built using 130 pieces of marbles. The height of the sculpture is more than 10 metres and it has a beautiful legend behind it. It was told that more than 2,000 years ago, Guangzhou was a barren land with people suffering from famine. One day five immortals in five-color garments came riding on five rams with packs of rice in their mouths. The immortals left the packs of rice for the Guangzhou people and gave blessings to the city before they left. The rams turned into stone and the city of Guangzhou became a prosperous place. Since then, Guangzhou was also known as 羊城.

Mausoleum of the 72 Martyrs

The place where I actually interacted with the local residence is the Mausoleum of the 72 Martyrs. It is located in a peaceful green park area in Huanhuagang in the east of Guangzhou. The 72 tombs of those who died in the unsuccessful Canton uprising of April 1911 were rest among imposing buildings which feature international symbols of freedom and democracy.

That park is very unique because it is not only a place to commemorate those who had sacrificed themselves but it is also a park for the residence to bond together. I observed that there are many parents and grandparents who brought their children to the park to play and relax. On the other side of the park, there were old folks singing the Chinese opera among themselves. This park is full of life, history and culture. It's a pity that Singapore does not have any park like these which coexist all three factors.

Group picture with the opera singers

We met a pair of sibling at the peak of the memorial. They were the local residence in their 70s. They came here to sing Chinese opera together with their friends. Both of them were renown in the Opera's industry back in the 1970s. They were really friendly and warm, they even mentioned that if there's a chance, they will visit Singapore too. Both of them even willing to perform for us LIVE at the memorial! It was really a rare opportunity to get to watch a Chinese opera in a foreign land. It was indeed an eye-opener! We exchanged name cards and hope that we will have the chance to bring them around the next time they come to Singapore. They even recommended some places of attractions in Guang Zhou.

After interacting with the locals, I feel that the Guang Zhou people are very cultured and refine. They still preserve their national heritage and arts. I hope that this unique culture will not die off as the country develops. Through this incident, it totally changed my impression of the people in China. Although I've met nasty ones at the wholesale centre, but those who were refined really reflects the Chinese traditional culture.

Hong Kong - Trade Development Council

Ever since the cost of properties increased, Hong Kong’s manufacturing industries move their factory to mainland China. Hence, the manufacturing industry in Hong Kong decreased which caused the booming of the service and logistics industry. Hong Kong has restructured its economy into a knowledge-based economy with a highly educated workforce.

It is important that Hong Kong is a regional business hub for foreign counterparts that want to do business in China. The reason is because, since the opening of the China market, Hong Kong has been one of China's largest trading partners. Businessmen from both countries can work well together because of the common language they speak. Therefore, most businessmen would use Hong Kong as a stepping stone to enter the China market.

The TDC has about 40 office over the world and there are about 11 offices in mainland China. The main reason why more than a quarter is located there is because China's economy is booming. More businessmen would like to do business in China because of it's cheap labour, large consumer market and low rent. Hence, the TDC acts as a match-maker to link foreign businessmen with the businessmen from China Mainland.

The TDC has a Business Information Centre in its main office. The Business Information Centre is like a huge library that provides almost all information you need to do business in the world or Asia. For example, there's personal computers available for you to do your research so that you can tap onto their database. There's also a newspaper archive, photo gallery and several catalogs about the SMEs in Hong Kong and the PRD regions. You can even find global directories for doing business in Asia. Statistics about various countries are also available.

Businessmen are allowed to make an appointment with the TDC and they will arrange for a face-to-face meeting to provide advices. They will give advices such as the laws, tax and trade issues to take note of when doing certain business in China.

I feel that having all the information needed in a one-stop-commercial hub is very convenient for foreigners that are not familiar with doing business in the region. Singapore should adopt this strategy to make its environment more business-friendly. it will also be very useful for students who want to research more on international business. Furthermore, with the ease of retrieving info and assistance, the locals may feel more confident in venturing abroad.

However, I feel that Hong Kong should improve on it's wireless network. Not every hotel offers good wireless connection. Although the country maybe bigger than Singapore. But I feel that in this technological advance era, it is very important to have a good infrastructure to attract foreigners. Every min and second lost cost money.. Most transactions are conducted in a wireless network.

Trip to Pearl River Delta - An Eye-opener

This school trip is very special to me because it's my very first time traveling for 13 days without my parents. I thought I would really be homesick. I was worried that I would not be able to make new friends because I always had the fear of rejection. However, I thank God that I managed to overcome that obstacle and made many many new friends during the trip! Friends that accompanied me and took care of me throughout the 13 days! I no longer feel homesick :)

Trip to the Wholesale Market!

During the past 13 days, God opened up my eyes to see what China really is. Mr Wong made a statement before the trip during the workshop. He mentioned that " You should not generalize how u perceive China. When you met with nasty people from this region, it doesn't mean by all the people in China are nasty." I totally agree with that statement. Although we had encountered several problems in the wholesale markets. But through these problems, I see it as an opportunity to learn. For example, in the wholesale market we spent the 1st hour walking and asking around if we could purchase a unit of the product but we failed. After much thinking, we decided to tell the shop owners that we'll be bringing some of their products back for market survey. We tired to show that we're interested in working with them in the near future. Their service was changed from " cannot be bothered with us" to " very interested in working with us". Through this incident, I had learn that when doing business, we have to be professional and always try to connect with the locals at the same level. Do not be boastful.

Overall, I feel that China is a beautiful country with many sceneries.. It is much more industrialized than what I had previously perceived. There were tall commercial buildings in Shen Zhen, Guang Zhou, Fo Shan, Zhu Hai and Zhong Shan. China is catching up with the world at an amazing speed.