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SHANGHAI X'PERIENCE

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THE MAGNIFICENT MAGLEV

At the end of the whooshing ride

Speed indicator at every car of the train

With my group on the train

At the platform before boarding

Synergy at work - The Shanghai Knights Team

The gate to the underground platform

Marvelling at the train

The scene from the train

Recording the record ride

Just can't wait to be on the Maglev

With our guide

A signboard at the station

A VIP cabin compartment

Longyang Station

Maglev train coming out from Pudong Airport

MAGLEV TRAIN REDEFINES TRAVELLING

It is sleek, fast, has a hyper speed and moves silently through the tunnel and past the scenery outside its windows. It whooshes to 300km per hour in two minutes flat, is pollution-free and has no exhaust fumes. How's that for speed faster than almost any mode of any speeding locomotive around the region here or the world and for green technology? I saw a documentary once on this Shanghai Maglev Train and my throat almost immediately went dry when the red LED screen inside the train indicated its record-breaking speed of 431kph.

I also learnt that at full speed, a journey on the train could take just 7 minutes and 20 seconds to complete a distance of 30 km, although some trains in the early morning and late afternoon might take about 50 seconds longer. I was blown away by the 3-digit number I saw on the red light LED screen shown during the documentary. In a split-second, I made a mental connection of my new-found discovery to a geography topic I had taught about the shrinking world and how modern technology had brought benefits to the world of travelling.

This magnificent Maglev machine which man has created has no wings, wheels or engine either. It was developed by Transrapid, a German firm. The company describes the Maglev as "the first fundamental innovation in the field of railway technology since the invention of the railway." Shanghai was chosen as the site for this super fast train construction site after studies made found that Beijing and Shenzhen were not so suitable for its running and operation.

Works began in 2001 and within two and a half years the levitation line was completed to join Pudong Airport to the outskirts in Shanghai. The line is 30.5 km long, has two stations and has a further separate track leading to a maintenance facility.

So what propels and pushes this train to such a speed? Magnets is the answer. First, powerful magnets lift the entire train about 10 millimeters above the special track, called a guideway, since it mainly directs the passage of the train. Other magnets provide propulsion, and braking, and the speeds - up to 500 kph in test runs; a good 60 percent faster than the renowned Bullet Trains - are attained largely due to the reduction of friction. Some Physics here! And for Maths and Economics - the cost to build this rail infrastructure was a whopping $US 1.2 billion. And talking about 'Innovative in Our Ways,' the Germans patented the basic system of this train way before World War II.

I was just as excited as the young Shanghai Knights for their maiden ride on the train. I felt the rush of being transported to the world of futuristic fervour mixed with the feeling of being carried away by Marvel comic-hero Superman whom I idolised during my childhood days.

But wait...China has just built another superfast trainline from Beijing to Shanghai. It hopes to connect the two cities in just five hours. The train capable of speeding at 486km/h would be in operation in June 2011.

AERO-SPACE, SOCIO-CULTURAL & LANG TRIP

TRIP OF THE YEAR

A mega-department Internationalisation Programme overseas trip was conducted by the Humanities, Science and the Mother Tongue CL Departments from 2nd -8th June 2010. The trip provided the 32 students an overseas exposure to deepen students’ knowledge and understanding of China’s Modern Technology, History, Culture and Geography through this cultural immersion trip. The meaningful and rich-learning trip formed an integral part of the educational experience of our students for them to develop a global mindset and cultural awareness. At the same time, in line with the school’s vision of ‘Quality Minds, Caring Hearts’, the programmes and planned itinerary were specially designed to create a holistic internationalisation experience for our students and to launch them on a personal life-changing journey, combining academia with a school visit. The six-day trip covered a two-day visit to Shanghai Gold Apple Bilingual School where students were immersed on space-rocket technology and aerospace studies and classroom observations for Chinese, Science, History and English lessons. The students had a hand in making and launching their rockets as part of the highlights of the school visit. In addition, the Maglev train ride which whooshed by at a speed of 301km/h put their physics learning to test. The socio-cultural aspects of the trip saw the students traversing 5000 years of Chinese Civilization and understanding what makes the Chinese society and culture at the Shanghai Museum. They experienced and marvelled at ancient Jiangnan Mansion design and exquisite garden architecture at Yuyuan Garden Chenghuang Temple and the Seven Treasures Ancient Town. The Bund, the boat cruise along Huangpu River and the night scene at the River Promenade got the students to view the world-famous piers of Shanghai and appreciate the foot prints left by its colonial leaders. With Shanghai expanding rapidly, the study on the concept behind designing Shanghai Metropolis at Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center was an eye-opener for our students. A learning journey to Chongming Island, Dongtan Eco-city with its cultural sediment of over 1300 years of history, natural landscape and artistic inspiration awed our students and let them see the importance of having an eco- balanced environment. The trip culminated with a visit to the Shanghai World Expositions where we got to visit the Singapore Pavilion and our twinning YOG country, Slovakia.