China Summer Law Program

This week, along with continuing their law and Chinese language classes, participants in the China summer program of the University of Minnesota Law School met with one of China’s leading international law scholars and a senior staff member of the Yale China Law Center. Several students also visited the offices of International Bridges to Justice, a Geneva-based organization that works to encourage and assist with legal reform in China. The group also went to a Xinjiang restaurant named Afunti where they enjoyed—and participated in—a raucous stage show. Students also continued crafting their own adventures outside the formal program.

Professor Zhu Wenqi served as a prosecutor in the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. He is now a professor of law at Renmin University, one of China’s top law schools. He can be fairly described as China’s leading scholar of international humanitarian and criminal law. In his talk to students, held at the American Club on Thursday afternoon, Prof. Zhu observed that the best word to describe China now is “change.” He described some of the challenges surrounding enforcement of laws and judgments in China, mentioning his own recent litigation experience in relation to a traffic mishap.

Along with Prof. Zhu, Keith Hand spoke to the students during Thursday’s event. A senior staff member of the Yale China Law Center, he lives in Beijing and works on a variety of initiatives to encourage and support legal reform in China. Previously he served as senior counsel to the U.S. Congressional Executive Commission on China, an entity created by Congress to monitor rule of law and human rights developments in China. Before that he practiced law in New York with the firm Paul, Weiss. He described the Center’s work in China, the trajectory of Chinese legal reform and options for pursuing a China-related career. (Click on either of the images above to see more photos from Thursday’s panel).

After Thursday’s panel, the bus drove the group to Wangfujing, a famous commercial street near the center of Beijing. Some people bravely tried unfamiliar street food, including scorpions and grasshoppers. Afterwards, the group headed to Afunti, a Xinjiang-themed restaurant that could be descried as re nao or quite lively. A few group members themselves became part of the stage show; by the end of the evening, belly dancing, a very large snake and table dancing were all part of the experience. Click on the image above to see more photos.

During their third week in China, participants in the University of Minnesota Law School’s summer program continued taking formal classes and learning more about China outside of class through field trips and other excursions. This week a large number of participants joined an optional trip to Shanghai, giving them a chance to explore another of China’s most dynamic and important cities.

On Wednesday evening the group visited the Beijing office of the international law firm Morrison and Foerster in the China World Trade Center complex (Guo Mao). MoFo experts Fraser Mendel, Auria Styles and Wang Yan (a graduate of CUPL, Minnesota’s partner law school in China) gave us an overview of PRC business entities, labor law and general characteristics of practicing in China.

The next day after class most of the students and professors headed to the airport for the optional Shanghai trip. Between Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon they visited many of the city’s headline attractions. They explored ultra-contemporary skyscrapers in Pudong and historic sites such as the Bund, former French Concession, Old Chinese City and Jade Buddha Temple. They also toured the impressive Shanghai Museum and Urban Planning Exhibition Hall in People’s Park. Most people also found their way to Xin Tian Di where they enjoyed the mix of cultures and architectural styles that seems to typify Shanghai.

Before flying back on Sunday the group went to Zhu Jia Jiao, a water town not far from downtown Shanghai.

After driving to the Long Yang Station in Pudong, the Mag-Lev train whisked the group the rest of the way to the airport, briefly hitting a speed in excess of 260 mph.

Many photos from the Shanghai excursion are accessible here or by clicking on the images above (be patient—it may take a minute to load the album!).

So, which is better, Beijing or Shanghai? Besides its rich historical legacy (exemplified by the Forbidden City and Great Wall), Beijing as China’s capital provides unique opportunities for law students—such as our visits to the National People’s Congress and Supreme People’s Court. However, everyone who traveled to Shanghai seemed to agree that it is, at least, an equally fantastic city.

Addendum: We’ve now posted images from the last week’s Great Wall excursion. Thanks to all who shared photos!

This week participants in the China summer program of the University of Minnesota Law School climbed the Great Wall, met with justices from China’s Supreme People’s Court, visited the U.S embassy and saw a spectacular acrobatics show. They also continued to attend classes and discover a wealth of extra-curricular activities on their own.

The embassy visit was a valuable chance to hear from U.S. officials on the front lines of U.S.-China legal exchange. Speakers addressed developments in human rights, labor relations and criminal procedure. The talk with embassy officials was off the record, and security procedures prohibited us from taking photos during the visit, but we were glad to have an opportunity to meet with knowledgeable foreign service officers.

After the embassy visit, participants took in an acrobatics show. Many ooh’s and ahh’s were heard as the performers demonstrated feats few of us will attempt at home. Clicking on the image above or here will bring you to more photos from the acrobatics show.

On Thursday the group visited the Supreme People’s Court. After visiting courtrooms in the SPC’s new building they had a chance to interact with four sitting judges, all from the SPC’s tribunal that handles civil and commercial cases. Justice Jia Wei, a senior judge at the SPC who has been instrumental in developing the law governing China’s securities markets, described the basic structure of PRC courts, then took questions.

Early Saturday morning participants headed out to the Great Wall. Rather than visiting the nearest sections that are the most common tourist destinations, the group traveled further out to a section of the Wall called Jin Shan Ling. From there the group hiked to Si Ma Tai, making a four-hour trek that carried them over some less restored sections of the Wall.

Participants in the China Summer Program of the University of Minnesota Law School have been in China a week now. They’re taking classes, hearing from local legal experts, getting acquainted with Beijing and making law-related field trips.

Participants and faculty arrived on Thursday and Friday of last week. An orientation session was held Saturday morning. Afterwards, the group took its first field trip, plunging right in by taking public transportation to Tiananmen Square. See more photos from Saturday by clicking on the image above or here.

After a second, brief orientation session on Sunday an opening banquet was held at the hotel.

On Tuesday retired US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor spoke at the School of American and Comparative Law (Zhong Mei Fa Xue Yuan) at the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL). Dean Stephen Hsu invited us to participate and provided front row seats to all our professors and students. Justice O’Connor spoke about Women in the Law and discussed her own experiences. We were honored by Dean Hsu’s invitation and delighted to hear Justice O’Connor. Afterwards, the group went to a branch of the famous Quan Ju De restaurant to try Beijing roast duck. Tuesday photos are here.

On Wednesday night a panel of three distinguished Chinese legal experts spoke to the students. The panelists were Janet Jie Tang, a partner at DLA Piper, Fu Wenjie, a senior staff member of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and Zhao Bin, vice president and general counsel for Sony China. Zhao Bin obtained his J.D. at the University of Minnesota, and Fu Wenjie holds both an LLM from the U of M Law School and a EMPA from the U’s Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Janet Tang is a graduate of Northwestern’s LLM program; however, she also spent time in Minneapolis when her husband was a student in the Law School. These panelists gave students a great window into the China’s evolving legal landscape.

On Thursday program participants returned to Tiananmen Square, the political epicenter of China, to visit the Great Hall of the People where China’s National People’s Congress meets each March. Alumnus Fu Wenjie was again extremely generous with his time, leading us through the enormous building, showing us parts not normally accessible to visitors. Afterwards, we had a banquet in an attached dining hall and heard from two other NPC staff members. They spoke to the students about China’s political structure and legislative process. Photos of our NPC excursion are here.

After the NPC visit, we went to the Beijing city planning bureau. A senior city planning engineer gave us an overview of Beijing’s past and intended future development, including the dramatic venues being constructed for next year’s Olympics. After the presentation, we saw a huge scale model of Beijing. Photos of this final excursion from our exciting first week in Beijing are here.

This shot is from a convenience store a short walk from the hotel. P&G has been in China for many years; as you can see, many common US brands are readily available. But not all of them. If you routinely use a particular personal product or over-the-counter medicine, you may wish to bring a sufficient amount for your stay in China (and certainly enough of any prescription meds you need).

The bank pictured above is a short walk from the hotel where the summer program is based. It has ATMs that accept foreign debit and credit cards. Not all ATMs in China can do this. Many work only with domestic cards. If you are away from the hotel, your best bet is a Bank of China ATM.

Chinese prices are given in RMB (Renmin bi, or the People’s Money), in units of yuan (the word yuan is similar in meaning but not in value to “dollars”). The largest bill in circulation is a RMB 100 yuan note (about USD 13). This means you need a lot of cash, literally, to pay for anything expensive. Informally yuan are referred to as kuai (like “bucks”).

Also, note paper money is commonly used in Beijing for small change (the functional equivalent of nickels and dimes). These bills are physically much smaller than the normal currency, but you’ll want to pay attention to them so that you don’t try to pay for a RMB 50 yuan item with a bill for half a yuan.

This photo shows a lobby right outside the rooms where students will live for this summer’s China law program. It’s at the Tian Yuan Zhuang Hotel in Beijing. You’ll get to know it well.

We’re delighted to present here details about the optional trip to Shanghai. Look them over, and if you’d like to participate please let Vivian Friedman know by email, yanqing@umn.edu. She needs a count ASAP for hotel and plane reservations, so please let her know immediately if you want to travel with us to Shanghai.

Information about using your electrical appliances (computer, camera, hair dryers, etc.) in China is available here.

Information about using a mobile phone in China is here.

Hello to all participants in the University of Minnesota 2007 China Summer Law Program! We are glad you found this site.

Please post a self introduction.