On 28 October 2017, the China-EU School of Law (CESL) and the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) International Education School co-organized a cultural excursion to the Creative Industry Park in Shunyi district. When entering the park, the different styles of graffiti attracted the eyes of students.

Ms Zhou Ming

Students first visited a gallery showing the first exhibition of the Chinese-German artist Leopold Lin in Mainland China. The gallery organizer Ms Zhou Ming patiently explained the work to the students. The students also talked with each other about what they saw in the pictures. “Leopold Lin paints with ink, in messy lines, with gorgeous colours”, student Wan Lu described her impressions. “It seems that there is a story behind each painting. To me, the most impressive piece of art was the painting called Direction.” Teaching assistant Max Baumgart shared his impression of this painting showing a homeless person in rags. He believed that the woman in the painting is still wearing lipstick because in spite of her situation she wants to keep her dignity. “This thought made me think a lot,” Wan Lu said. The students also visited the wood workshop. The manager Mr Xu Zhaolin demonstrated how to grind, cut and drill a timber. “It was amazing that in just a few minutes the carpenter created a wooden sculpture while at the same time explaining to the students how the machine works,” Wan Lu said. “I was so impressed by the precision of the machines and the skills of the carpenter.” When the carpenter gave the sculpture to one of the European Chinese Law Taught in English students, she was very delighted.

Mr Xu Zhaolin

Then the meet-and-greet for the language tandems started. Each European student from CESL was paired with a Chinese student from the CUPL International Education School. “This coming together makes it easier to get to know each other and learn from each other about the other culture,” student Wan Lu said. Each tandem took a portrait, and, in the end, all students took a group photo. “We hope that this is beneficial for laying the foundation for future friendships.”

Article by WAN Lu (CESL Double Master’s student from the 2016 intake)