Danielle Labadorf, 2L

Contributor

I reached the top, winded and warm, my cold breath visible from below. A stripe of stone commanded the scene, as the man-made phenomenon in front of me rivaled the picturesque scene Mother Nature created as the backdrop for this colossal creation. Behind me were 22 students I had now come to call friends. I took a deep breath and realized that although we had reached the top, we would continue climbing for many years to come.

Although mounting the Great Wall was perhaps one of the best experiences of my life, I cannot definitively say that the climb was the most enlightening part of my two-week trip to China.

The Law and Business in China Program, offered through Cardozo, was an international seminar that included three stops in Wuhan, Beijing, and Hong Kong. Each of the three cities exuded its own special and distinct character, and the trip itinerary was designed to present a different aspect of law to compliment the personality of each city.

In Wuhan, we were fortunate to have several friendly and personable tour guides from the local law school, Wuhan University, who were eager to teach us about their daily experiences as law students. During the day, Cardozo and Wuhan students enjoyed hearing from several speakers regarding public interest litigation, Chinese legal philosophy, and environmental protection.

At night, the local students were also kind enough to show us around the city for some nighttime adventure, while we enjoyed one of China’s craziest inventions: a bouncing dance floor that turned one club into a great big trampoline.

Next, the group continued on to Beijing, perhaps the most cultured leg of our Chinese adventure. In Beijing, lessons focused more on international law, as we met with some of the largest and most prestigious international law firms in China. Students also visited American firms with offices in Beijing and were given the opportunity to speak with some of the firms’ most successful lawyers.

When not visiting firms, the group appreciated some extra free time and took trips to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and the Bird’s Nest. We also enjoyed several interesting traditional Chinese feasts before heading to Hong Kong for the final portion of the trip.

While in Hong Kong, we met with students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and learned about the legal history and framework of Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, much of the focus was on corporate law, as students learned about complex legal matters such as securities and acquisitions involving Korean entities. Furthermore, we were honored to meet with Sir David Li, Chairman of the Bank of East Asia and a former member of the Hong Kong cabinet.

Lastly, students had a few free days to explore the beauty and excitement of Hong Kong. Popular trips included escapades to the highest point in Hong Kong, The Peak, as well as trips to the Big Buddha and Macao, a little island off the coast known as the “Vegas” of Hong Kong.

At the close of the two-week venture, the group appreciated one final night on a cruise ship dinner, marveling at the skyline of Hong Kong and the inevitable passage of time that had cut our trip so unfortunately short.

That day on the Great Wall, we all accomplished something unbelievable. However, perhaps the most amazing accomplishment of the trip was the connections made to the law students living thousands of miles away, as we realized that we were all attempting to change our radically different worlds through the same institution, one great step at a time.