Teaching and Learning in Nanjing: An Academic Conference in Chengdu, October, 2014

In October, 2014, I attended an academic conference sponsored by the Law School at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, China.

Those invited to participate were foreign law professors teaching at Chinese law schools and Chinese law professors at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. The topic was whether more interdisciplinary courses would benefit Chinese law students.

In China, law students begin their study of law their first year at the university. After students obtain a four year degree, many then take the Chinese bar exam and begin their work. Also, many students go on to earn graduate degrees in law before starting work. What is missing for many law students is the study of subjects other than law. In America, interdisciplinary studies for law students come naturally because students earn an undergraduate degree before attending three years of law school, and the undergraduate degree is not in law.

My presentation was on the benefit of a common law course as part of a civil law curriculum. From what I have been told, the Chinese legal system is probably most closely aligned with the German civil law system. The American common law system is an adversarial system that relies on decided cases for precedent. The Chinese legal system places much less emphasis on the skill of persuasion and its law is codified.

The conference was fascinating. The discussions were open and included constructive criticisms and recommended changes.

The attendees were treated to exceptional local cuisine and tours of nearby world-renown sites. The day after the conference we visited the Dujiangyan irrigation project, a project competed more than 2,000 years ago and still in operation, and Mount Qingcheng, one of the most important centers for Taoism or Daoism in China.

What follows includes descriptions of Chengdu and the sites we visited as well as pictures.

Chengdu is in Sichuan Province near the center of China. The following is from Wikipedia.

Chengdu is one of the most important economic, transportation, and communication centers in Western China. Chengdu Railway Station is one of the six biggest train stations in China, while Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is one of the 50 busiest airports in the world.

The Dujiangyan Irrigation System (58 km (36 mi) away from Chengdu proper) is the oldest existing irrigation project in the world with a history of over 2000 years diverting water without a dam to distribute water and filter sand with an inflow-quantity control. The irrigation system contains floods and droughts throughout the Plain of Chengdu.

[The] Irrigation System consists of three main constructions that work in harmony with one another to ensure against flooding and keep the fields well supplied with water:

The Yuzui or Fish Mouth Levee, named for its conical head that is said to resemble the mouth of a fish, is the key part of Li Bing’s construction. It is an artificial levee that divides the water into inner and outer streams. The inner stream is deep and narrow, while the outer stream is relatively shallow but wide. This special structure ensures that the inner stream carries approximately 60% of the river’s flow into the irrigation system during dry season. While during flood, this amount decreases to 40% to protect the people from flooding. The outer stream drains away the rest, flushing out much of the silt and sediment.

The Feishayan or Flying Sand Weir has a 200 m-wide opening that connects the inner and outer streams. This ensures against flooding by allowing the natural swirling flow of the water to drain out excess water from the inner to the outer stream. The swirl also drains out silt and sediment that failed to go into the outer stream. A modern reinforced concrete weir has replaced Li Bing’s original weighted bamboo baskets.

The Baopingkou or Bottle-Neck Channel, which Li Bing gouged through the mountain, is the final part of the system. The channel distributes the water to the farmlands to the west, whilst the narrow entrance, that gives it its name, works as a check gate, creating the whirlpool flow that carries away the excess water over Flying Sand Fence, to ensure against flooding.

After the system was finished, no more floods occurred. The irrigation made Sichuan the most productive agricultural place in China. On the east side of Dujiangyan, people built a shrine in remembrance of Li Bing.

Li Bing’s construction is also credited with giving the people of the region a laid-back attitude to life; by eliminating disaster and ensuring a regular and bountiful harvest, it has left them with plenty of free time.

Mount Qingcheng is a mountain in Dujiangyan, Sichuan, China. It is amongst the most important centres of Taoism (Daoism) in China. In Taoist mythology, it was the site of the Yellow Emperor's studies with Ning Fengzhi. As a centre of the Daoist religion it became host to many temples. The mountain has 36 peaks.

Taoism (or Daoism) is a philosophical, ethical, and religious tradition of Chinese origin that emphasizes living in harmony with theTao (also romanized as Dao). The term Tao means "way", "path" or "principle", and can also be found in Chinese philosophies and religions other than Taoism. In Taoism, however, Tao denotes something that is both the source and the force behind everything that exists.

Taoist propriety and ethics may vary depending on the particular school, but in general they tend to emphasize wu-wei (action through non-action), "naturalness", simplicity, spontaneity, and the Three Treasures: compassion, moderation, and humility.

This was the room where the conference was held. There were some local law students who listened to some of the presentations. A highlight for me was to speak with the law students during breaks and learn their reactions to the presentations.

These are just of few of the many dishes served at this meal. Typically, in China many dishes are served family style in a variety of seemingly never-ending delicious courses. Our beverage was fresh watermelon juice that was superb.