Author: Vivien Su, USAI Program Assistant
Since 2016, each summer the USAI-Szymanski China Rule of Law Program has sent American law students to China for a two-week program designed to expose them to the institutions and officials of the Chinese legal system. After taking law classes at elite Chinese universities, visiting courts, and interacting with lawyers, businessmen, professors, law students, and other professionals, participating fellows return to the US with a better understanding of China and US-China relations. This year, from May 19 to June 1, six law students from across the United States participated in USAI’s fourth annual China program. During the two weeks, the fellows and I traveled through Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Beijing, and Shanghai.
The 2019 China Rule of Law Program was greatly successful, creating opportunities for many thoughtful conversations with law universities, law practitioners, organizations, and among ourselves. This year’s program took place at an important time for US-China relations. The various discussions helped the fellows to contextualize and provided them with diverse perspectives on international and domestic trends. Our on-the-ground meetings with local stakeholders were valuable experiences for candid conversations. During the trip, we also had the chance to explore the different cities, taste local cuisine, and meet with former participants of the American Rule of Law program who currently live in each city. The trip not only created new and lasting friendships but also greatly enhanced the fellows’ Mandarin language skills.
A few of our favorites memories included meeting with CUSEF, visiting Shoujing Law Firm, having dinner with Rule of Law alumni, and going to KTV in Shenzhen!
Meeting at CUSEF
KTV in Shenzhen!
Alumni Dinner in Shanghai
Meeting at Shoujing Law Firm
