Student Focus
Gilchrist Dsouza - China Scholarship
Last July I had the opportunity to travel to The Chine-EU School of Law in Beijing, as of the CESL International Summer School Scheme. The scheme is aimed at helping cultural and legal understanding between China and the EU. The summer school was hosted by the China School of political science and law one of China’s best universities and taught by some of their top professors. The school was attended by array of EU universities.
It was truly a once in a lifetime experience being able to go to places that foreigners are usually not allowed to enter including a Chinese heritage site. We also had the ability to speak to Zhong Lun a red circle law firm and learn about the key role law firms play in the progress of China as well as the head of the Xiaomi legal team. Both gave us great insight into the country and economic practices.
The legal lectures were particularly eye-opening. As a law student trained in the UK common law tradition, I arrived with certain assumptions about how legal systems should operate primarily grounded in adversarial procedures, judicial independence, and individual rights Frameworks. China’s civil law structure, intertwined with socialist legal theory and the role of the Communist Party, challenged my perspective. I learned that while China does not follow a Western liberal model, it has its own internal legal logic that prioritizes order, stability, and collective welfare. The emphasis on mediation and social harmony, for example, reveals a fundamentally different way of thinking about justice and dispute resolution one that is deeply influenced by Confucian traditions as well as state policy.
On a more Social note, I made lifelong friends that made the experience even more special. It was everyone’s first time in China and we spent hours roaming Beijing speaking to the local people and being fascinated by the architecture and hygiene of the city.
The experience whilst an incredible academic experience in international legal understanding is also is a life changing social and cultural experience that I would highly recommend to go for if you get the chance.
