Beijing Itinerary
Almost there… I’m leaving on Saturday for Beijing where UNSW is holding a summer session elective called “Chinese Legal System” there. Yes, it’s conducted in English. Yes, China has a legal system. Here’s the timetable:
| Morning | Afternoon | |
| Mon 10 | Chinese Legal System overview | Australian Embassy visit |
| Tue 11 | Constitutional Law | The Forbidden City |
| Wed 12 | Tiananmen Square The Great Hall of the People |
Yonghe Lamasery Temple of Heaven |
| Thu 13 | Intellectual Property Law | Field trip to State IP Bureau Acrobat show |
| Fri 14 | Contract Law | Great Wall, Ice Lamp Park |
| Sat 15 | Harbin | |
| Sun 16 | Harbin | |
| Mon 17 | Foreign Investment Law | Law firm visit |
| Tue 18 | Corporate and Securities Law | Court visit |
| Wed 19 | China’s Foreign Trade Law | Ming Tombs & CUPL’s new campus |
| Thu 20 | Mediation, arbitration and civil enforcement procedures | Summer Palace Farewell Banquet |
| Fri 21 | Free | Free |
| Sat 22 | Free | Depart Bejing |
Should be fun, although the main thing to be worried about is the temperature. This was showing on the firm’s intranet today:
That’s like, a 38 degree difference. I’m so going to get sick. On the weekend I’m meeting up with Kev and Cath who are bungling me on a 13-hour overnight train trip with them up to Harbin. Harbin is way up north. In fact, it’s further north than Vladivostok, which is a notoriously cold Russian city. I’ve been warned of sub-negative-20 degree temperatures there. I’m so going to die. Nonetheless, the Ice Festival in Harbin looks amazing (although when they light it up at night it looks pretty cheesy).
Interestingly, by the end of the trip I’ll know more about Chinese IP, Foreign Investment, Corporate and Trade law than Australia’s. Not hard, since I know nothing about those Australian laws.
There’s also a 3.5 hour transit in Singapore on the way there. My sprightly Aunt Carol has been kind enough to take us for a quick late night snack while we’re there, a welcome respite from airline food. Apparently the cuisine in Beijing leaves a lot to be desired.
12:24am (GMT +11.00) tomorrow 
Do you get taught about the ramifactions of running over protesters using tanks =D