5 December 2013 Weekend in Shanghai with Moot Court Team

It is not always possible for us to log on to Blogger, so there has been a delay since the last post.

Marilyn and I had a great weekend in Shanghai in the middle of November with a moot court team from the Nanjing University Law School.  The moot was sponsored by the International Red Cross and was a war crimes problem.   Not having handled many war crimes cases in Emmett, I was invited because the moot was conducted in English.  There were 26 schools in China that participated. We placed 14th.

I am with Professor Zhang.  He teaches criminal law at the Nanjing University Law School.  He was the faculty advisor to the moot team.  He was also a very gracious host in Shanghai.  I am now assisting him with the International Criminal Law Moot



 

I am with the moot team in the lobby of the hotel where we stayed.  The hotel is part of the university where the competition was held.  The men argued and the women were the researchers on this team.  However, there are actually more women, by far, than men in the Nanjing law school.  The international criminal moot team that I am now assisting is composed of all women.

 Here we are on the campus where the competition was held.  These students were very kind and helpful to Marilyn and me.  They made sure we didn't get lost and that we were well taken care of.  We traveled with them by train from Nanjing to Shanghai.  We came back to Nanjing earlier than they did and they were most concerned that we would be okay traveling alone.  It was real pleasure to be able to spend this much time with students on a more individual basis.

 

 

 



 

This is the law school building on the Fudan University campus.  It is more impressive than this picture can depict.

A view from a balcony in the law school building.

Last minute preparations before the first round.

 



The rest of the team on the other side of the hall.  As you can see in the background, the typical formal dress for women here is a black pants suit with a white blouse.  Most men wear a black suit.

 



 

One of the many large conference rooms in the law building.  There were also well furnished waiting rooms.

 

 

 

Where the International Red Cross displays could be viewed in the law building.

 

Preparation between rounds.

Our team with one of the judges.  He was a former barrister and a very colorful fellow.  He asked the contestants many questions and insisted that the question asked be answered and not some other answer given, which was a problem for many students.   He mentioned that oral persuasion is much more a part of the English and American common law legal systems than it is a part of the Chinese and other civil law systems, and he gave good advice about how to be effective in oral advocacy.  He said the goal of an advocate should be to be so clear and so persuasive that the judge will say,  "This is so simple that a child could understand it.  Why is the other side wasting our time?" 

 

The court room in the law school where the final rounds were held.



7 November 2013



We are feeling more comfortable in China with each passing week.  When we first came, the subway system seemed like an impossible puzzle to me.  Now it is part of our routine to travel by subway several times a week.  We now eat often at the student cafeteria and enjoy good food at a very low cost.  We keep trying new food items.  Some we like and some we don't like as much, but it is all part of the experience. 

 

One thing I cannot get comfortable with is being a pedestrian.  If I did, it would be hazardously to my health.  Pedestrians share walking space with bicycles and scooters, mostly electric scooters that are silent and appear from nowhere, or so it seems.  The goal is to be a predicable pedestrian and not make unusual moves. If the scooter riders can predict where you are going, you are safe.  On occasion, I have lapsed out of my alert and aware zone and meandered when I should have been looking behind and in front before changing pedestrian lanes.  I have then quickly been brought back to attentiveness when a scooter has passed me too close for my comfort.

 

What is really worth celebrating is our teaching experience.  I recently gave two midterm exams.  I am impressed at how well the top students do in a second language.  I included essay as well as objective test questions and many students responded well to challenging problems

 

 

 

The pictures deal below deal with a variety of topics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the sports complex on the campus where we live.  Marilyn and I walk around this track for exercise several times a week.  A few weeks ago a student, who appears to be an American student, began leading aerobic dance activities to lively music.  At first, the participants were mostly foreign students.  Now as many or more locals are part of the group and all seem to be having a great time.

The new campus, where Marilyn teaches all of her classes and where I teach one of my classes, is spacious with all new buildings.  Construction still seems to be continuing.

 

This is the library on the new campus.  It is spacious with a pleasing appearance inside.  A student told me that the architectural design is supposed to suggest an open book.

This is the view from the library looking towards classroom buildings.

 

 

These characters were drumming up interest for a Taiwanese business display and were willing to pose with anyone.

 

 

This is part of a park by a lake that we visited.

 

 

This is the entrance to the park.

We have seen a lot of rock formation exhibits in China.  Marilyn is with Helen who has shown us some of the sites.  Helen is a very patient woman.  I know this because she is trying to help us learn Chinese.

 

This elephants appear to be covered with growing grass.  I expect that they are green in the summer.

There were many of these miniature displays in the park.

 

There were an amazing number of chrysanthemums on display with different colors and shapes.

 The park had a peaceful atmosphere.  There were not many people there and we had great weather.

 

Helen took us to where the real shops are.  We went down some back alleys to this place.

 

These are fresh fish.

 



We bought some vegetables here and found them to be a better quality and less expensive than what we find in the supermarkets.

A typical view once you leave the main streets.

 

A meat vendor near the vegetable vendor.

October 21, 2013

I had some great teaching experiences this past week.  On Wednesday I presented a lecture to a law student organization at their request on Marbury v. Madison, considered to be the most important United States Supreme Court case because it established the Court as an equal branch of government, as the branch that interprets the law and as the branch that has authority to overrule what it considers to be unconstitutional acts of the other two branches of government.  I also enjoyed teaching about American tort law this week. Marilyn and I both agree that what we enjoy the most about being in China is what we are here to do and that is to teach.

A few weeks ago we traveled to the Northwest part of China during a school break.  Had someone told me I was in Turkey and not China, it would have been believable as you will see from the following pictures.

We purchased slices of melon from this fellow.  It was the sweetest melon that I have ever had.  He was doing a brisk business on a hot day at about 50 cents a slice.

 

All kinds of raisins: red raisins, green raisins, black raisins, yellow raisins, sweet raisins, sour raisins, etc.

Does this look like China or Turkey?  It is northwestern China.

 

This fellow not only sold pomegranates, but also fresh squeezed pomegranate juice.

 

 

This is still what many people call home today.

A savvy traveler who knows to keep her backpack in front where she can see it.

Handmade and ornate clothing items.

 A soon to be experienced camel rider. 

 

 

 

 Food is often served on a revolving tray in the center of the table. If you are adept with chop sticks, you take food for your plate as it comes by. 

 

 

 



This is a very impressive site that is still being developed.

I couldn't resist taking this picture.  I think this is the Merrill Lynch bull!  From what we have seen this could easily be the symbol of present day China.

October 10, 2013

It is difficult to describe how crowded the subways are at rush hour.  But the following picture shows why rush hour may not be the best time to return from grocery shopping.  We thought the subway car was full, then a few more waves of people entered.

We are learning more about the various dynasties in China.  We are within an hour's bus ride to a an exhibit about the Ming Dynasty (14th century to 17th century).  The pictures that follow are from that visit.

"The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China for 276 years (1368–1644) following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, described by some as "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Han Chinese. Although the primary capital of Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng (who established the Shun Dynasty, soon replaced by the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty), regimes loyal to the Ming throne – collectively called the Southern Ming – survived until 1662."

 

Building that housed the exhibits.

 

Above is a model of the type of ship used by Zheng He, a great Chinese admiral who was active in the 15th century.

 

 

"Zheng He was placed as the admiral in control of the huge fleet and armed forces that undertook these expeditions. Wang Jinghong was appointed his second in command. Preparations were thorough and wide-ranging, including the use of such numerous linguists that a foreign language institute was established at Nanjing. Zheng He's first voyage departed July 11, 1405, from Suzhou and consisted of a fleet of 317 ships holding almost 28,000 crewmen.
Zheng He's fleets visited Brunei, Thailand and Southeast Asia, India, the Horn of Africa, and Arabia, dispensing and receiving goods along the way. Zheng He presented gifts of gold, silver, porcelain, and silk; in return, China received such novelties as ostriches, zebras, camels, and ivory from the Swahili. The giraffe he returned from Malindi was considered to be a qilin and taken as proof of the favor of heaven upon the administration.
While Zheng He's fleet was unprecedented, the routes were not. Zheng He's fleet was following long-established, well-mapped routes of trade between China and the Arabian peninsula employed since at least the Han Dynasty. This fact, along with the use of a more than abundant amount of crew members that were regular military personnel, leads some to speculate that these expeditions may have been geared at least partially at spreading China's power through expansion."

 

A view of the Yangtze River from the top of the building shown below.

 

 

A part of the old city wall of Nanjing

September 29, 2013

September 29, 2013

Teaching is certainly the most enjoyable and rewarding experience we are having in Nanjing.  Nanjing University is one of the top Universities in China and the students we teach are some of the best in China.  In one of the law classes I taught last we week, we discussed the Bill of Rights and other rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution.  As part of our class discussion, we reviewed a controversial United States Supreme Court case.  I do not let the students know my view of the case.  I simply try to explain the issues and rationale for the case and ask questions that I hope cause deep thinking.  After the class some of the students came to me and expressed concern that the Constitution seemed to be interpreted to allow what they considered to be wrong behavior.  It troubled them that a people with great freedom would use it in that manner.  It is perceptive on their part to understand that with freedom comes a responsibility to be wise in its use.

This last week we sent to a park that had some interesting features as the following pictures demonstrate.

Marilyn and I are standing in front of an active Buddhist temple.

 

A view from the doorway

 

 

A music practice session in the park.

 

 

As you see below, an interesting pastime for many is to bring their caged birds to the park so the birds can get some fresh air and the owners can visit.  I would liken this to the sociality that exists among those in American who take their dog for a walk and enjoy the company of those doing the same thing.

 



This fellow had seven birds that enjoyed some fresh air.  He said he had seven more at home.  It will be their turn next time.


A very interesting feature of the park was a display of polished rocks in their natural shape.  Below are examples of some of the magnificent exhibits.