"To reward our male team players for their outstanding performance in clinching the NBL Div 1 Championship title for two consecutive years in 2004 and 2005, the team, led by Deputy Chairman of HUBC, AC Jackson Lim of SCDF, headed to Shanghai for a goodwill trip..."

During the trip, we also made use of the opportunity to foster ties with the Shanghai Public Security Bureau by having a friendly match against their team.

The delegation departed Singapore Changi Airport on 20th July at 0115hrs and arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport at 0645hrs. Shortly after we arrived, we were brought by our local guide to our hotel, Jiao Tong Da Xue Bin Guan (a guest house of the University) which is located at Xu Jia Hui. 

Day 1 – 20th July
After taking a short nap to refresh ourselves, it is time for lunch and we were all set to try the local shanghai cuisine such as xiao long bao, sheng jian man tou, la mian, jiu niang wan zi etc. After having a good meal, we proceeded to one of the famous shopping paradise in Shanghai – the Xiang Yang Market. It boosts an array of the world's most famous clothing, shoes, and watch brands but at very low prices compared to market rate. Needless to say, our hands were full of bags of good bargain by the end of the day.

Day 2 – 21st July
The day started with a visit to the impressive Shanghai Police Museum, led by two liaison officers from the Public Security Bureau (PSB). It is an 8-storey building converted from flatted factory space and houses many important artefacts that gave us a quick overview of the entire history as well as the capabilities of the different departments of the PSB.

We also visited their Command Centre, which is located at their new PHQ building. We looked in awe and were really impressed with the gigantic screens displaying traffic conditions of different parts of the provinces and the various statistics breakdown shown. The working environment also proves to be conducive with well-equipped work stations in a well-lit and spacious setting.

After touring the Command Centre, the officials from PSB hosted a sumptuous 8-course lunch for our 8 officials at Hotel Equatorial Shanghai. We also presented souvenir magazines and plaque to them to thank them for their warm hospitality. 

After lunch, we proceeded to Lu Wan Sports Hall for the friendly match with the PSB team. The game started with Singapore team trailing behind them by at least 10 points margin. For the first and second quarter, they proved too strong and tall for us and the point difference between the two teams inched further and further away. One of the players also suffered injury on the scalp in this match. In the last quarter, we staged a comeback and finally managed a tie with a final score of 61-61, which both teams agreed that this is the ideal result for a friendly match.  

One key lesson that the HUBC Men Team can learn from this match is that although the hastily assembled Team from the Shanghai Public Security Bureau is not physically as fit, the players were spot-on in getting their balls into the net. Our HUBC players certainly need to brush up on their shooting skills.

The day ended with PSB hosting a BBQ buffet dinner for the entire delegation, which marks the beginning of bilateral ties between two organisations.

Day 3 – 22nd Jul
The delegation was scheduled to leave for a day tour to Hangzhou which is approximately 3 hours drive from Shanghai. As the journey was far, we set off from our hotel as early as 7am. One of the main places that we visited was Lingying scenic area, otherwise known as “The Buddhist Kingdom in the Southeast”, is a scenic area surrounded by pretty hills, clear springs and streams, beautiful green trees and many historic relics and caves. Not forgetting also the majestic and famous Lingying temple where many devotees offer their prayers.

The West Lake is undoubtedly the most renowned feature of Hangzhou, noted for its scenic beauty that blends naturally with many famous historical and cultural sites. We took a boat ride and were much captivated by the outstanding views of the lake, mountains and monuments.
We also visited Cheng Huang Ge, Lei Feng Ge as well as one of the tea factories where some of us bought superior Longjin tea leaves which is said to be good for health.

Another place that we visited was the Yu Yuan Garden, a well-restored Suzhou-styled garden created during the Ming Dynasty. There are more than 40 scenic spots scattered throughout the garden, which is divided into six parts by five boundary walls. The six scenic areas include the Grand Rockery, the Ten Thousand-Flower Pavilion, the Hall of Heralding Spring, the Hall of Jade Magnificence, the Inner Garden, and the Lotus Pool.

As for lunch and dinner, we tasted some of their local famous dishes such as ‘Dong Po Pork’, Dong Po Chicken’, ‘West Lake Fish’ etc.

Day 4 – 23rd Jul
On the 4th day, the delegation again set to leave early for another one-day tour at Suzhou. We went to the silk factory where we were shown how the cocoons produced silk and how the silk was extracted and made into blankets. Some of us bought silk clothing, handkerchiefs, scarves and pillow cases.

We also visited Ou Yuan, believed to have been the residence of a loving couple.
Next place we visited was Pan Men San Jing, which showcases how the emperors made use of water gates, city walls, stone portcullis etc to defend themselves against enemies.

Lastly, we also went to Rui Guang Ta or Auspicious Light Pagoda, which stands at 53m tall and is an octagonal, seven-storey tower style pagoda, of brick and timber construction. It is a majestic national listed historic site worth visiting.

After dinner, we also dropped by Nanjing Road, China's premier shopping street which is about 3.4-mile-long. Modern shopping malls, specialty stores, theatres, and international hotels have mushroomed on both sides of the street and flashing neon signs illuminate the magnificent buildings and spangle the night skyline of this lively city.

Day 5 – 24th Jul
On our last day in Shanghai, we visited the Oriental Pearl TV Tower located on the modern Pudong side of the river. This futuristic tower, with a giddy height of 468 meters, stands as the world's third tallest TV tower, after the 553-meter CN Tower in Toronto and the 535-meter Moscow TV Tower. This ultra-modern tower combines ancient concepts such as the spherical pearls, with 21st Century technology, commerce, recreation, educational and conference facilities, has already come to symbolize Shanghai and is honoured as one of the ten best views in the city. When viewed from the Bund at night, the tower's three-dimensional lighting makes it a delight of brilliant color.

Yu Yuan is an excellent model of classical Chinese gardening architecture under state preservation. With an area over two hectares, the garden is famous for a number of architectural marvels, including the Big Rockery, the Naturally-Hollowed-Jade-Boulder, the Hall of an Emerald Touch of Spring, the Ancient Opera Stage and the Inner Garden.
The night boat ride through the Pudong River let us enjoy a panoramic view of the river and city skyline.