Day 3 - Headline

At the Best, With the Best, For the Best

In Huan Li, the factory is divided into different departments.  Each department has one thing in common, which is its large and High-Tec machineries.  When I first saw them, I thought about how fast and quickly they can get the job done as compared to us humans.  I also thought about how organised they are and how the manpower in the company is greatly reduced due to the machine’s effectiveness.  I wondered how many products one machine can produce in a short period of time.  I also wondered what the company would be like currently without the presence of many machines, also pondering about the machines’ effectiveness as compared to manual labour.

When I saw Master Zhou, he looked like an introverted yet reputable man.  He seemed to be the kind of man who is constantly grumpy throughout the day.  However, after getting to know him better, I thought that he is very much similar to the person I look up to and care about, my grandfather.  Why so?  Master Zhou makes sure that we take in and understand his knowledge regarding his area of expertise just like how my grandfather would share his knowledge on certain things with his grandchildren.  For example, when we first caught sight of the many complicated air and water pumps, he tried his very best to make sure we understand how they work, putting away the fact that there was a very obvious language barrier, by using various hand gestures and tones, even attempting to speak in English.  Moreover, I wondered what Master Zhou has contributed to the company, so much so that he is well respected by his fellow co-workers in the company.

Christopher Wong

Behind the scenes of water and pressure pumps

Today is our third day in China.  We spent our whole day in Huan Li Company.  We learnt a lot of meaningful values and lessons.  I saw a lot of machines that were very big and large.  They use different types of machines to get things done quickly and efficiently.  It is more advanced than the ones I have seen in other places.  I think adding more machines would increase the amount of products that could be produced.  However, it would require a lot of energy and electricity.  I wonder how much money they would be able to save as not much manpower is required for most of the things are done by machines.  I also wondered how much time they would be able to save if all the things are done by machines.

I also saw the different types of pumps being used in industries which all specialise in different areas.  The pressure pumps are placed to minimise the damage caused to water pumps.  There were a lot of improvised pressure pumps and water pumps which I think would make the lives of people easier.  I would like to learn the science and technology behind such pumps.  I wondered what motivated them to improve their ideas and what they do to products that are not functioning properly or up to standards.  Do they throw them away or dismantle and rebuild it again?  I hope to learn more about them in the upcoming days.  I learnt that simple concepts can also be used in places to make an idea better.

Thowfic Salihu Zeenath Nisha

Machines of HL

I saw many machines, some big and some small including the three dimensional industrial printer which seemed ten times bigger than what we have in our schools’ DNT room.  I think that they are used to produce the parts of the various products they manufacture like the parts of the DSK-2.3 (an electronic pressure control) that I saw when walking through the factory.  These parts are then assembled by the staff of Huan Li and I think with the presence of these machines, the speed of the production of the products would increase and the work done by the staff of the company would be reduced.  I wondered if these machines were created by the company itself or bought from other industries also wondering why they chose water and air pressure pumps and controllers as their main products to be sold out in the market.

Afterwards, we went on a trail to explore and learn about how the different pumps and pressure controllers function, with our mentor Master Zhou.  I think that Master Zhou is a very out-going person, he overcame the language barrier and continued to actively talk and explain to us about the functions of the products around in his work place.  I wondered why he chose this job as his profession and pursued on it to excel, now being the most experienced in his company.  As his working atmosphere is quite humid due to the heat given out by the machines, I wondered how he manages to get things done around him.

Najmus Sehar

Day 2, I used to think…but now I think: Huan Li Technology

Today is our first day at Huan Li Technology.  It is a public holiday here (5th day of the 5th lunar month is Dragon Boat Festive or 端午节).  We are really grateful that a number of staff were still in the company to welcome and interacted with us.

I used to think Huan Li’s introduction would just be purely about their company, but after today’s introduction, my view about Huan Li changed.  Their introduction talk today was a mixture of their company’s reflection and ice breaking activities.  For example, a dumpling wrapping competition, to celebrate the Dragon Boat festival, and harvesting of fruits at their company itself.  We wrapped dumplings and plucked fruits with the staff present today, allowing me to know that the staff here are really friendly and they did not mind coming back to welcome us today even though it is a public holiday.

I used to think that the company would just be surrounded by many buildings.  I was surprised that Huan Li had a garden where many different type of fruits trees are planted there.  The staff brought us there to pluck some fruits like apricot and we were able to consume it immediately.  The fruits were sweet and it has a tinge of sour taste.  

I hope to be more courageous tomorrow and be the one who starts interacting with the staff there to understand more about their company and their experiences.

Kor Jia Jia

I used to think Huan Li is a formal company and we have to make ourselves adapt to the office environment and be disciplined, however, we were welcomed by a banner greeting our school.  Seeing the banner helped me understand that the staff there were welcoming and friendly.  It is also amazing that despite the Dragon Boat Festival, the staff were generous enough to welcome us at the office even when they could have requested for us to come visit another day.  Despite spending their holiday with us, they were still smiling and cheerful.

I did not expect to have ice breaking games as I expected it to be a formal meeting and we would just have to introduce ourselves and get started with the introduction.  We were served fruits to settle in.  I really appreciate their efforts.  It was really fun to have dumpling making as our icebreaker.  As a person who has never eaten dumpling, it served as a new experience and gave me knowledge about the culture even more.  They taught us patiently and even demonstrated how to make them, helping us in making too.

I didn’t know they had a garden too.  Having lived in a city, I have never been to plantations.  They knew about our living in cities and brought us to the plantation area.  They allowed us to try ripe fruits and taught us how to identify ripe and unripe fruits.  Trying the fruits was nice and made us feel even more welcome.  I first entered Huan Li technology thinking that it will be a stern workplace and would more demanding in terms of attitude and behaviour but however their generosity and welcoming nature were enough to help us appreciate and to get to know such companies like Huan Li Technology.

Sureshkumar Reshma

I used to think that we will be going to Huan Li today for long and back-to-back talks and sharing by different members at Huan Li.  Now I think Huan Li is a place where I can feel very welcomed by all the friendly and caring staff there.  We were first greeted by a banner on the gate where vehicles drive in.  One of the security guards saluted us while the bus was driving in.  Although it was a public holiday for the staff, they had kindly returned to the office to meet us and to conduct a few ice breaker sessions.

When we arrived at the conference room, we were briefed by a few senior members of the staff.  We then had some dumpling tasting session which led us to the dumpling making competition, where we get to learn how to wrap a dumpling from the staff there.  After the competition, we left the building to pluck some fruits from the trees they have in Huan Li.  We got to try the fruits after plucking them.  They have fruit trees such as apple tree, pear tree and plum tree.  We then returned back to the conference room and received a welcome gift from them.  The day at Huan Li concluded with a group photo with the management and staff.

Gerald Lim

Day 1 - Compare & Contrast: 3 new experiences encountered today

Suzhou 

Today was quite an eventful day for me. First off, this is the first time travelling so far without my parents, let alone with friends.  To me, this trip is very meaningful as I’ll be learning a lot of new things out of school and my home country.  The fact that I’m all the way in Suzhou for this learning journey with my friends makes it very meaningful.

Secondly, this is my first time in Suzhou and Shanghai.  Since it’s my first time, I’m excited for all things to come.  Lastly, I got to taste local Suzhou cuisine.  It was a blast, literally for my taste buds.  Most of the dishes here were spicy and strongly seasoned with various spices, which is why some dishes did not suit my taste.

Overall, the first day in Suzhou was mainly spent on transportation.  From 5 hours on the plane to 2 hours on the bus, we went from Singapore to Shanghai and finally to Suzhou.  I’m expectant for newer things I’ll experience tomorrow at Huanli Company.

Chua Xin Tian

Unlike Singapore, the weather here is very much tolerable, not too warm and not too cold.  It’s a great first experience as I was able to escape Singapore’s excruciatingly hot weather.  It’s great walking out the doors feeling neutral, and not frustrated with the sun.  I’m now just hoping that the weather would remain tolerable for the next few days.

The second rather surprising encounter was our arrival at the Shanghai airport.  We managed to get pass the customs quickly and efficiently, without any disruption, definitely painting a great first impression.  The last and of course the most important new experience would be tasting the tang of independence.

This is definitely my first time travelling without the guidance of my parents.  They would be the only source I would go to when in need of assistance.  However, they are absent in this trip, and I would have to learn how to be independent, and know how to take care of myself, my belongings and of course, my siblings.

Ashley Wong

The first new experience I have encountered today was boarding an airplane with friends I have known for years and friends who are very close to me.  Since it is not my first time boarding an airplane with friends of the same school, the feeling wasn’t surprising yet it was very enjoyable.  Thinking back to the times when I went to an overseas trip to Penang with my friends in Primary 5, it was nothing compared to this 5 hour journey with the Broadrick ALP 2017 group.

The second new experience I have encountered today was an extraordinary exposure to a new country which I have not visited yet - China.  I used to think that China has rundown houses but now this beautiful city changed my view, specifically,  Suzhou. It definitely is comparable to Singapore’s careful planning and architecture, there are also “HDB Flats” all around Shanghai.  These flats are also quite colourful.

The third new experience I have encountered today was to try out new Chinese dishes from China which were surprisingly spicy yet tasty.  I really love how they prepared the vegetable dishes and they tasted great.  The dishes are sweeter compared to the Chinese dishes in Singapore and are definitely more spicy as mentioned by the tour guide on our way to the restaurant.  In conclusion, I have survived day 1 and enjoyed it thoroughly even though we did not venture out much in Suzhou.  I hope to further develop my feelings and liking to this country.

Jefry Sanjaya

Shanghai, here we come!

Everyone is excited about the flight to Shanghai.

Thank you, Mdm Sutinah, for sending us off.

All safe and sound.  End of first day activities.  Debrief and reflection session.

All Ready To Go

Finally!  The exams are over!

We have done all the preparations and are all ready to go.

Looking forward to the trip.