Question For Discussion: A dream of china

1. " However China had nothing to say to my spirit, if indeed land speaks to spirit. My spirit was as alien here as i was. It inclined towards a diamond city of trees and meaningful occupation, efficiently sparkling in the modern world. That was where i truly belonged among skyscrapers with glass fronts and gold-encrusted orchids." Do you think the reference to Singapore as a diamond city is apt? Why or why not? How would you describe your feelings towards singapore, using imagery you feel suitable.

In my opinion, it is suitable to describe Singapore as a diamond city. Singapore is so developed economically. Compared to china, Singapore has a high level of education. In the education system, it ensures that all young get an education and the government would support any family that have any difficulties. In this way, majority singaporeans are educated and thus there have high abilities to boost the economy. Many people from other countries have been wanting to work together with singapore and laso to study here. Singapore have also been the tourism board. Many tourists came to singapore as it have been upgrading its tourism progessively. For example the newly opened Integrated resort, which is a casino based vacation resort. This gives more opportunity to all the tourists to have some leisure time and stay in singapore. It would also make the tourists visit singapore frequently. From this, you can see that singapore is higly developed till people from other countries have been wanting to visit it. That is why singapore is referenced as the "diamond city".

An imagery that i would use to describe singapore is as vibrant as the fantasy world and as busy as the bumble bee.

2. "With great grandness, my uncle ordered orange drinks from the waiter. He criticized the glassess as dirty when the drinks arrived and insisted on new ones...i kept buying him the orange drinks he swallowed with such relish" Why do you think her uncle behaves in this manner? Do you feel sorry for him or do you regard him with distaste, as his niece does?

To me, the uncle is so grouchy. He doesn't even appreciate it when he were served with the glass of orange drink instead, he scolded the waiter and even asked a change of drink. He's also greedy and too thick-skin as he ordered more drinks although after he had criticized and scolded the waiter regarding the ornage drink. Through the uncle's action it would give a first impression to others how partly negative he is. In fact, in the first place, he could ask politely for a chnage of drink instead or criticizing and scolding the waiter.

" I returned to Singapore alienated from the China i saw, but no less eager to listen to my father's stories of the most beautiful of beautiful lands." Do you find this a contradiction? Why or Why not?

No i dont find this a contradiction as, its true that Singapore is far different from China now. That is why the author felt alienated when she returned to Singapore. The only china which is described as the most beautiful land is the old china which is often told by the father. The father kept thinking that China have not changed a bit and did not know that China have actually progressed and changed a lot. It is not the beatiful land which it is described by the father anymore.

"A country is only good as its men. My father is a god man.. whichever country can claim him as its own." What do you think the narrtor means by the first statement? To what aextent would you agree that her father is a good men? Give reasons for your answer. Which country, do you think, should claim him for its own?

Men is the one which brings up the name of the country. The country can't progress on its own. So, its the men who do all the work and to ensure that the country progress and whether it have a better economy or not. So that is what meant by the author that a country is only good as its men. I agreed that the father is a good men as he stays loyal to his own country and even thinks that it is still what it is. Although he didn't get to go to China all these years, he's still did not change his mindset about china at all. I think a country which have many people migrating to other countries should claim him as their own as he would give all his loyalty to them and give his best to the country.

Question:

Do the respective author use these traditional chinese rituals

(eating paper dissolved in drink, burning of paper money and houses,

lighting joss sticks and praying to dead ancestors) just for irony

or for more profound purposes? What are these purposes?

my answer:

The respective authors use the traditional chinese rituals examples are, eating paper dissolved in drink, burning of paper money and lighting joss sticks and praying to dead ancestors are all for more profound purposes. The chinese believe that if they drank the drink which is mixed with the ashes of a prayer paper, it could cure all the diseases in the body and bring back health. They also believe that, by burning paper and house, it could be sent to the spirit of their family members in the netherworld. This sis to ensure that their family members would not suffer. By lighting joss sticks and praying to the dead, its a symbol of respect to their ancestors showing that they still concern and think of them.

Question 2:

Would you yourself, as modern young singaporean, see the relevance

of such cultural rituals in your society as necessary still, or are a

hindrance to progress and enlightened thinking?

To me, as a young modern singaporean, i see the relevance of such cultural rituals in my society as necessary still. A cultural practise is something that should never extinct. Thus, it have to be passed down from a generation to another generation. All of this is a part of cultural belief so, as we born as a chinese, we should have the responsibility to have the background knowledge of the culture and be the next to passed down to the next generation.

Question 2:

Do you think the elderly in Singapore are out of touch with the contemporary world? How far is it a virtue to remain contented like old Mrs Li and think there is nothing more that a person especially an elderly one can want?

Yes, i think that elder singaporeans are out of touch with the contemporary world. The elder generation nowadays are unable to interact well with the new generation which arose a conflict and loose relationships. The elder generation are unable to make the new generation appreciate about their culture. They couldn't passed down anything about culture. That is why, if it were to asked around about culture, most teenagers would say that they don't know. In the contemporary world, it is so advanced and everything is about technology and money-making. Most of the teenagers have handphones, laptops, ipod and other gadgets that allow them to communicate and interact with other easily. But, the elderly, are not so good in all these as they come from the generation where all this does not exist and so, they don't find any need for all this. This is also one of the reason why the lack of understanding between one another occur. Both generation, the elder and the new generation have a different mindset. The elderly holds tightly on the issue of culture and religion. To them, its something which you should hold tightly and respect. But, to the generation, they don't care about upholding their culture pridely because, they are not given the idea of why they should by the elders. There are a lack of communication between both sides. Because the elder generation doesn't know about the advance technologies and gadgets, the new generation may find the elder generation as outdated and may not See the bond between them. They may get closer and can interact better with the elder generation if the elder generation know all this . The contemporary world may think that its such a hassle to teach the elder generations they may be slow in it and so, whatever that they do, the elderly may not understand and may not know. That is where the issue of children watching pornography websites, children hacking people's website, children doing unbenefitable things on the net are not realised by the parents at all. This are the reasons why there is s gap between the elderly and the new generation.

question 3:

Is looking back at the past necessarily a good thing? This particular story uses the past to affirm strong ties, emotion and sentiment, but when can it become a negative habit?

No, looking back at the past is not a good thing to me.By looking back at the past, it may let your emotions get hold of you and you may get sad. It may give you negative effects for cases like nolstagia. By looking back at the past, you may be craving to get back there at that place, at athat moment, but as we all know, time cannot be turned back. It can become a negative habit when we invite others whoa re they with you at that moment. But due to a long period of time, it can't be remembered, and it would made you upset. It may also affect the mental state when a person remembered something unpleasant.

Miiraa :D