Day 1 - Fri 27 May 2011

All of us gathered on Thursday 26.5.11 at 10 pm at Changi Airport Terminal 3 Row 10 to prepare for boarding. We met our Tour Leader from ITT, Ms Wang Mei Yee. After the group photographs with our Principal Ms Chew, HOD MT Mdm Lim Peck Sin and SH ML/TL/CCA (Aesthetics) Mdm Hanizah, who went to send us off, we were ready to take off for Beijing.

We arrived safely at Beijing International Airport at 7.05 am on Fri 27.5.11. It was a smooth flight and all of us managed to catch some sleep throughout the flight. The airport is huge and we had to take a sky train from the one arrival hall to another to collect our baggage and to our coach. Thereafter, we met our Tour Guide from Beijing Ms Linda Wang who made us feel at home at once.

The first stop after the airport was for some sumtpuous dim sum breakfast. We ate you tiao, congee, yam and custard buns, sweet potato & chestnut cake, tea eggs, steamed cakes & kailan in oyster sauce. Group 2 posing with the local tour leader and Beijing tour guide.

Group 2 enjoying their Chinese tea before the meal. Cheers!

Group 3 waiting anxiously for the arrival of their congee!

After the hearty breakfast, we were off to visit the iconic China National Centre of the Performing Arts. There we learnt about traditional opera and about the stage, props, costumes, facial painting, style and make-up associated with the craft. We also had the chance to enter the massively impressive concert hall and musical theatre.

Can you guess what the girls are focussing on?

It's none other than the same China National Centre of the Performing Arts mentioned above at the main entrance.

Lunch was at the famous Quan Jude Peking Duck restaurant. We witnessed the chef slicing up the duck meat for us to wrap in the flour rolls. 

The girls had much fun wrapping and creating their own Peking Duck!

As the safety of our girls are of utmost importance, we had the hotel Safety Manager brief them on the evacuation procedures in the event of a fire when we checked into the hotel in the afternoon.

The last visit of the day to a place of interest was another icon of Beijing, the Beijing Olympics Stadium, also known as The Bird's Nest. What a fulfilling and eye-opening day for each one of us!