Week 8: A Busy Week and a Great Movie
At work this week, everyone was busy preparing for the forum next Saturday. I’ve found my research on data privacy in the U.S. to be very interesting, and I would like to take more courses on cybersecurity and privacy in the coming semesters. Speaking of the forum, I was asked to be one of the hosts that day. I agreed, of course, but I am very nervous! We all have to present on our research at the forum, so I was already prepared for that, but now I’m not sure what I’ve signed up for. Still, I’m excited, and I need to practice my public speaking, so this is certainly a great opportunity!
Although we all spent most of the week on our research, we did have a couple of interesting meetings the other day. The first was a presentation by Wenjuan, who is an attorney volunteering here for the summer but currently works at a university and runs a research center in India, and a visiting professor from India, Professor Baruah, who together gave an introductory presentation on the constitutional governance of India and China. They spoke about both the similarities and differences between the two countries and their chosen political systems. Of course we didn’t have time for much more than an introduction, but it was fascinating, and I want to know more! The second presentation was given by another Zhicheng attorney who specializes in legal services in the field of charity and social organizations. He spoke about the social organizations active in China, how they operate and how they’re funded, as well as the limitations and challenges they face compared to social organizations in other countries. His presentation was given in Chinese, so one the new interns translated for us. She is a high school student here in Beijing, but her English is perfect. I actually thought she was American when I first met her!
Yesterday we visited the Yonghe (Lama) Temple, which is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery that was formerly a palace. I will have pictures next week! Today we went to the movies to see 我不是药神 (English title: “Dying to Survive”), which is very popular in China right now. The movie is based on a true story, and it’s about a man who smuggles a live-saving drug from India because the cost of the legal medication in China is exorbitantly high (hard to believe, right?). The movie is funny, heartbreaking, and heartwarming, and it deals with significant legal and ethical questions. I’ll admit to you right now that I cried at least five times. When it’s released in the States, I highly recommend you see it! That’s all the news I have this week. Next week, you get to hear how the conference went. Wish us luck!
Below are some pictures of the Summer Palace that I was not able to post last week. Enjoy!
