Adsaya Suthakar

2019 Xiamen Summer School was an excellent opportunity to understand the Chinese Economy and Chinese culture. It was also a unique opportunity to meet other students at Xiamen University and work alongside them.

When I landed in China, I was surprised by the infrastructure. There were tall, beautiful buildings alongside clean, highly maintained roads. I was also stunned by the number of stares and pictures we had encountered on the first day and throughout the two weeks. Initially, as part of our summer school during orientation, we had to complete a scavenger hunt. This was a great experience to see the campus also learn to find our way around the campus using a map and communicating with students with limited English knowledge. Also, on this day, we were greeted with a welcome dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. It was interesting to see dishes always being served on revolving tables. Also, throughout the 2 weeks, chopsticks were used to eat instead of knives and forks. There were a variety of dishes given; however, my favourite during every meal was the sweet watermelon as the desert.

I enjoyed various trips around Xiamen. Our trip to the Nanputuo Temple was exhilarating. I enjoyed hiking up the mountain with the other students on the trip. This was an excellent opportunity to get to know one another since it was once of the first trips we completed together. Seeing the view of Xiamen change gradually as we kept going up was breath-taking.

Alongside, this trip I enjoyed visiting Quanzhou. Even though this was a long, hot day, it was an excellent opportunity to understand the culture and religion in china. I enjoyed visiting different temples and following the history and culture associated with each place.

Also, taking a 20-minute ferry ride to Gulang Island was memorable. A beautiful Island with a great atmosphere. This island was pedestrian-only. This was a popular destination and consisted of various stores and souvenir shops. Although we had minimal time on this island, it was an enjoyable experience to see one of the most popular destinations off the coast of Xiamen.

Our Hakka Earth Towers Day trip was also a memorable experience. After the long coach journey to Hakka, a small rural town, we were greeted with the local tea containing ingredients that can only be found on that island. Walking through this village was insightful and scenic.

During this trip, I took part in various Chinese cultural experiences. My favourite was the facial mask making, also known as the Beijing Opera masks. This was a great opportunity to not only be able to take part in these activities but also understand the meaning and purpose behind this art. The colours on the mask also have different meanings. For example, red shows intelligence and bravery, black symbolises selfless or bold personality, and blue faces represent fierceness and stubbornness. Another cultural experience was the martial Arts Workshop. During this session were taught various sequences to perform with a partner. We all paired up and practised the martial art moves. Many students continued to remember steps throughout the trip.

Our business visit to Justsun Supply Chain company, a large supply chain service company established in Xiamen, gave us a warm welcome and an insightful tour of the company. I was amazed by the modern views of the company; to be specific, I was surprised by the focus they give to workers health and well-being. Also, the local enterprise visit to Xiamen Gulong company gave us an insight into the production process of soya beans. This unique visit allowed us to learn about the time and effort to make various types of soya sauce. The main ingredients used in making soya sauce are salt, water, wheat and soybeans. It takes roughly 3 months to make soya sauce, but they can be stored for various amounts of time for different purposes. My favourite part of this tour was the maze at the end.

The lectures during the summer school were very insightful into the Chinese economy and society. My favourite lecture from the summer school was taking the pulse of the Chinese economy. An informative lecture on the rapid economic growth over that past 35 years, estimated GDP levels and fiscal, monetary and supply-side policies that the government are trying to implement was a great introduction into understanding the Chinese economy.

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, which I was very grateful for. Even though it took me a while to settle into the new culture and environment, with the help of the volunteers and great friends, this turned into a memorable trip that I could never forget.