This week can be summarized as a week of fun learning, experience and travelling in Zhejiang.
We started off with a Buddy Day in Hangzhou and I was in the same group as some of my classmates as well as other SUTDents that I have not known. We were introduced to the sights around the Grand Canal that flowed through Hangzhou and it was a day and night full of hearty laughter and chats. We started of touring a few museums along the Canal and then we stopped for lunch. As the saying goes, ‘Food brings people together’, we really started bonding during the lunch break. Our buddies were going to Singapore for a short trip and we exchanged itineraries, shared our lifestyles and our experience throughout the meal. After the meal, we walked along the Grand Canal and stopped by several 老街(s) and I made a pause at one of the street to carve my name onto a sweet:D Afterwards, we took a ferry down the Canal and had our dinner at the city area. The restaurant we ate at was not only renowned for it’s food but it’s ambiance was top-notch. Maybe the restaurants in Singapore can learn a thing or two because I have never seen a restaurant, both locally and abroad that combines culture, exquisite lighting and technology, live music and excellent food into a restaurant and sell that idea. The restaurant’s design backdrop was ‘By the River’ and each table was situated on a specially designed boat. Near the entrance, a musician was playing a traditional instrument and classical music. When I entered the restaurant, it felt like I was entering another dimension. That restaurant was wonderfully designed and coupled with delicious food, it is something I’ll definitely remember. Finally, we headed back on the metro back to our hostel.
This week, I went for 2 company visits, one to Ningbo Kitchenware and one to Hangzhou Shining 3D Tech. The former visit was to a company that aims to make the kitchen a smarter place in the home. From changing the way we cook to making the kitchen a safer place to be, it was a new perspective that I have never looked at before. As our group will be doing a project on smart home products, we have never thought of the kitchen as a place to work on and this trip definitely gave us insights on how we can make the home a smarter place to live in. The latter trip was to a 3D printing company that specializes in making 3D printers as well as providing quality consultation and printing services to customers. We can see how 3D printers have become more and more advanced over the years and they have already started testing and printing artificial body parts to aid in the degradation of our bodies. This trip allowed me to learn that technology has endless possibilities and I am very excited on how I can use the lessons I have experienced and incorporate them into our projects.
This week, we also had a lesson on origami designing and how we can use movement to show an origami’s behavior and movement. Our group designed a few origami that mimicked certain shape’s and animal’s movements and we had a lot of fun folding and designing how they were gonna move and feel. I hope that these lessons will help us in our eventual design of our final prototype.
Lastly, we visited 乌镇 dubbed the ‘Venice of the East’ and we had a blast of our time. The boat ride was beautiful and the scenery was gorgeous. I really recommend everyone to go there while they are in Hangzhou because the night views are gorgeous. The only mistake we made while going there was we entered a bar at night and overspent a little too much money. Overall, it was a day well spent and I really enjoyed the time I have sightseeing in China so far.
To end the week, it has been exhilarating with all the programs that have been lined up for us. I think we are going to get busier as the weeks pass but I think I will still enjoy every single bit of it. Time for Week 3 to start…
