Former Justice and World Renowned Civil Law Scholar Visits STL

On June 2, 2017, Peking University School of Transnational Law (STL) welcomed The Honorable Professor SuYeong-Chin, a former Justice of the Judicial Yuan of Taiwan who is renowned throughout the world as one of the leading scholars of civil law.

During his visit, Professor Su delivered a public lecture on “Judge-made Law for China,” which was followed by a Q&A session for the entire STL community. STL Professor Mao Shaowei moderated the lecture and Q&A, which was held in the new STL Building and attended by hundreds of law students, faculty and distinguished guests.

2L student Bai Zhuochen said after the public lecture, “Professor Su’s presentation was very enlightening. His discussion of the philosophies at the core of the Anglo-American law system (Common Law) and the Romano-Germanic law system (Civil Law) were very insightful. His comments gave me a deeper appreciation of the advantages of my comparative J.D./J.M study at STL. We are very fortunate to have such an important law scholar visit STL.”

1L student Ni Ruizhang also was impressed by Professor Su. “As a new law student, I benefited from Professor Su’s introduction of civil law concepts and his forward-thinking interpretations. Following his guidance, I believe China’s civil law system will continue to develop and advance. Professor Su is a highly respected judge and law scholar, and students are very eager to have him visit STL again,” said Ni Ruizhang.

In addition to his public lecture, Professor Su also led an engaging roundtable with STL faculty on the topic of “Civil Law v. Case Law: A Third Way for China?”

“Professor Su’s visit was inspiring on many levels,” said Professor Mao Shaowei. “STL began the AY16-17 academic year with a visit by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and we are ending the academic year with a visit by The Honorable Professor Su. These are momentous occasions for STL and we are very grateful for the time and special attention these eminent jurists devoted to our law school,” he added.

Professor Su currently serves as Chair Professor at National Cheng-Chi University, Taiwan. He was the Honorable Justice and Vice President of Judicial Yuan (Taiwan) from 2010 to 2016. Before that, he served as Dean of College of Law, National Cheng-Chi University, Vice Chairperson of Fair Trade Commission, and Chairperson of National Communications Commission. Professor Su obtained his LL.B. from National Taiwan University, Taiwan in 1972 and his doctoral degree in law (Dr.jur.) from University of Munich, Germany in 1981. He writes widely on private law, economic law, constitutional law and judicial reform.