Foreign students learn about China's judges
Xu Li tells students about Gao Tao, the first judge in China, during her lecture.
Foreign students attended a lecture given by a Changning District People's Court judge on Tuesday to learn about China's legal system.
About 50 10th-grade students from the Yew Chung International School of Shanghai attended the lecture at their school, the first such event hosted by a local court.
The class was in two parts, the lecture and group discussion.
Xu Li outlined the duties of a judge, told students about China's first judge, and the mythical creature Xie Zhi which represents justice. The types of criminal punishment and the Civil Code, the foundation of the Chinese legal system, were also discussed.
Victoria De Felip, 15, said the class was really interesting. She said: "Because I don't usually get these types of classes in school, I think it really helps us open our views and maybe get new possibilities for our jobs or what they really are passionate about." She moved to Shanghai because her father works here.
Ryan Peet, who is from the UK but has been teaching at the school for a year, said the class get students thinking and could relate to their career plans.
"In terms of the case at the end," he said, "it really gave the students something to think about and it was great to see how involved they were in the discussion and trying to work out answers."
Huang Xiangqing, deputy chief of Shanghai High Court, said similar events would be held in the future.
Students discuss cases after the lecture.
