China Environmental Law

Child #2 and I boarded the bus at 7:45AM Saturday morning for the trip to the University’s Minhang Campus.  We arrived in time for a walk through the larch forest near the lake where we disturbed a large flock of Black-Crowned Night Herons building their nests.  It was then on to the festivities celebrating the University’s 113 anniversary.  Buses of returning alumni were unloading and an outside stage featured everything from a calligraphy demonstration to a very “energetic” aerobics dance routine.  Students with signs with graduation years (64, 84, 89) roamed the crowd to collect graduates who may have been looking for their old classmates.  Booths were set up by the various schools to provide information about their current activities.  Of course, I stopped by the law school’s booth, and I don’t think it was bias that gave me the sense that they had the liveliest and most congenial student attendants. 

I was instructed that I was to be in the auditorium at 9:40, so at the appointed time we made our way to seats in the second row.  As we waited for the program to begin spotlights would pick out very old graduates in the crowd and someone would run up with a microphone and ask them to reminisce for a moment.  As with older graduates everywhere, the microphone had to be gently wrestled from some of them as they reminisced for a tad too long. 

With the arrival of the University President and Party Secretary the event got underway with a video of the school’s past, present and future.  A more in depth treatment of these topics was then provided by the two aforementioned leaders, and then it was the time for the award’s ceremony.  We were introduced one-by-one (there were about 10 of us), and made our way on stage during our respective introductions.  Once everyone had been introduced, we were each given a huge bouquet and the President and Party Secretary handed us our award plaques (President’s Prize, for special contribution to the University).  That done we returned to our seats, our view now obscured by the tropical flora we sported. 

Four very distinguished alums were then honored with special achievement awards, the school’s song was sung, and the event was over.  We then headed to lunch with the President and Party Secretary (they even set a place for my young’un).  It was one of the best meals I have had in China in terms of the liveliness of the conversation and general feeling of camaraderie.  Our hosts were extremely gracious and could not have been more skilled at putting everyone at ease. 

The point that made the day the most special for me was that it was my students who nominated me for the prize and pressed my case in presentations before the President.  Fortunately, one of my students is a very talented oral advocate, and he said after he made his speech on behalf the President was the first to clap.  It has been an absolute joy to teach at the Law School of Shanghai Jiaotong University these past four years.  The students are smart, motivated, curious, and courteous.  I could not have asked for a better experience.