4 september 2019. The opening ceremony of the academic year for the freshmen of the Italian-Chinese Institute of ZUEL was successfully held at room 628 of the Wenhuan Building. The ceremony was hosted by ZUEL Vice-President Prof. Yao Li. Among the attendants, the Rector of ZUEL Prof. Yang Canming, a delegation of professors from the "La Sapienza" University of Rome, the Italian Dean of the Italian-Chinese Institute, Prof. Oliviero Diliberto, the vice-president of the national association of lawyers and chief executive partner of the law firm Grandall Mr. Lu Hongbin, the head of the Changsha branch of the law firm Grandall Mr. Luo Wei, as well as the heads of the School of International Education, of the Department for International Exchange, of the Institute of Research, of the campus management department, of the Faculty of Law of the ZUEL. Also present were all the freshmen of the 2019 class of the Italian-Chinese Institute.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Prof. Yao Li welcomed all the freshmen of the Italian-Chinese Institute and introduced the guests present. After singing the national anthem, Prof. Yang Canming, rector of ZUEL, addressed the students.
Prof. Yang's words were frank and full of expectations. He recalled how, from a policy perspective, the construction of the Italian-Chinese Institute in cooperation with the "La Sapienza" University is in line with the Belt & Road strategy. There is also a feeling of friendship with Italy that comes from far away. From an international perspective, the Italian-Chinese cooperation project can form a group of talents with an international vision and an innovative spirit, as requested by the international scene. At the end of his speech, Prof. Yang expressed his best wishes to the freshmen for a rich and productive university career.
Prof. Oliviero Diliberto, Italian Dean of the Italo-Chinese Institute, in his speech recalled how the Master focused on European studies, of comparative and European law, is a project that reflects numerous and great opportunities but also challenges and that Italy will make every effort to ensure the implementation of the planned projects and the achievement of the objectives.
Mr. Lu Hongbin expressed his greatest appreciation for the cooperation project between ZUEL and the University "La Sapienza" from the perspective of the internationalization of legal science. It is a cooperation capable of making an important contribution to the internationalization of Chinese companies and the creation of important commercial and cooperation opportunities between the two countries. He also expressed the expectation of being able to jointly train the students also at a practical professional level and wished that the activities of the Institute could progress ever better.
Subsequently, the Italian-Chinese Institute and the Grandall Law Firm signed a cooperation agreement. Following the signing, the teachers of the ZUEL accompanied the teachers of the Sapienza for a visit of the institute, illustrating the specific functions of each classroom. Finally, the attendants participated in a group photo on the terrace of the Italian-Chinese Institute.
During the session of exchange between teachers and students, the Dean Prof. Xu Diyu provided a detailed introduction of the educational programs and the management of student affairs. He expressed the great consideration that the Ministry of Education and the management of the ZUEL reserve to the Institute. He expressed the hope that students will cherish this honor and seize the opportunity to establish a solid foundation for the future of the Institute. He then suggested that students change the traditional study concepts typical of the Chinese University as soon as possible and adapt to Italian teaching and assessment models for the next semester. He also suggested taking advantage of free time to read and develop independent learning skills. With regard to student affairs’ management, Prof. Xu, from the point of view of study and life in general, has once again emphasized the need for autonomy and self-management. He expects the students to autonomously manage the site of the Institute, to independently seek methods to improve their level of spoken English and to refer to the School in order to report defects or shortcomings. He promised that the University will do everything possible to ensure that students have logistical support and a high quality study environment.
Afterwards, Chinese supervisors and tutors met with students, introducing themselves and advising students about how to adapt to foreign teaching methods, on the basis of their own experience as foreign students. They suggested that the students cultivate their English, their writing ability and the accumulation of theoretical notions of legal science, combining the knowledge acquired during the Bachelor and the knowledge provided by the Master, so to become international high-quality talents in the legal field.
During the exchange session between teachers and students, the students asked questions related to the use of the Italian language in teaching and in the post-graduate research, to some specific Italian language related questions and to assessment methods, to how to adapt to the Italian accent in the English language and other concerns. The teachers answered the questions and advised the students to cultivate an independent study, prepare the lessons in advance, get used to reviewing what they did in class, pay attention to the basic knowledge of law, get out of the patterns of teaching at a fixed time and exercise to the maximum degree the self-learning.
The ceremony ended in a warm atmosphere of mutual communication
