On July 14, 2022, the 11th Han Kun Youth Legal Scholarship Final Examination and Award Ceremony was successfully held. After multiple rounds of competition and careful assessment by Han Kun's internal expert panel in the final examination, 10 students from top Chinese law schools were awarded the 2022 scholarships and honorary awards.
The launch of this year's scholarship attracted thousands of applications from law school students across China. An internal panel comprising Han Kun partners selected 10 stellar students for the final examination after carefully reviewing and assessing the candidates' submissions and their performance in preliminary tests. In response to the government's epidemic control policy, this year's final examination and award ceremony was held online. After a fierce "remote" competition before the final examination panel (composed of well-known law school professors and Han Kun partners), five students were awarded the 2022 Han Kun Youth Legal Scholarship (RMB100,000 for each winner): Chen Xinyi, from Peking University; Cao Yue, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Feng Liyu, who obtained her bachelor's degree from China University of Political Science and Law and master's degree from Peking University; Wang Fengquan, from Peking University; and Zhou Yitong, from Peking University. Another five students won honorary awards (RMB10,000 for each winner).
List of scholarship winners and honorary award winners (in in alphabetical order by surname)
Scholarship Winners
Chen Xinyi
Chen Xinyi graduated from Peking University and will pursue further education at Harvard Law School. Ms. Chen adores music, movies, and sports. She appreciates Han Kun's strategic foresight in launching the scholarship scheme, whose winners span a wide range of educational backgrounds and areas of interest, making the scheme a proactive answer to the legal profession's ongoing call for talent diversity. She was deeply impressed by Han Kun's examination panel members who, as senior legal experts and professionals, were willing to exchange ideas with her on a humble and equal standing and patiently listen to her thoughts on career planning. She hopes to live up to their support and encouragement and to pass on such spirit to her peers in the future to jointly promote the development of China's rule of law construction. Ms. Chen aspires to grow into an excellent litigation lawyer. She is determined to continue enhancing her legal expertise and watching closely the legal aid realm, in an effort to facilitate effective legal and institutional reforms to benefit more people in society. Ms. Chen sees the application process as a valuable opportunity to interact with predecessors and peers as well as for introspection. She calls on all students who are hesitating to bravely lean in and apply for the scholarship.
Cao Yue
Cao Yue graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University with a bachelor's degree in Law, and obtained a MJur degree from Oxford University. He will continue his studies at Oxford for an MPhil in Law degree. Mr. Cao has shown excellent academic performance and attained honors such as the title of "Outstanding Graduate of Shanghai" and a national scholarship. He has taken part several times in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition with great achievements, worked as an intern at several international law NGOs, and published academic papers in both Chinese and English. Mr. Cao admires and appreciates Han Kun's continuous support for law students over the past 11 years and hopes to inherit the firm's philosophy by undertaking his own social responsibility. In the future, Mr. Cao is determined to pursue a Ph.D. degree and become a scholar in international law, dedicating himself to in-depth research for resolving various international law concerns faced by China, and propelling the development of international law in China. He also encourages students who are considering applying for the scholarship to bravely make the attempt and pursue their dreams, and to integrate their personal aspiration and progress with social advancement.
Feng Liyu
Feng Liyu received her Bachelor of Law degree from China University of Political Science and Law and her Master of Law degree from Peking University. She will go to University of Cambridge for a Ph.D. in Law program in International Law. Ms. Feng enjoys handicrafts and calligraphy. She was moved by Han Kun's deep care for topical social issues and legal professionals' social responsibility amid her application for the scholarship. The application process has offered her a precious opportunity to have in-depth dialogues with senior lawyers on major international law issues, and to witness their persistent passion for society, for law, and for the well-being of all people, as well as their care and support for the young legal generations. Ms. Feng is excited to find that senior legal experts from Han Kun identify with her passion as an international law student. She aspires to live up to those support and expectations by contributing her value to China's rule of law construction from a cross-border perspective. In the future, Ms. Feng hopes to continue her exploratory journey in the academic world of international law. She aims to become a scholar and lecturer, dedicating herself to critical and interdisciplinary international law studies, and giving full play to her identity and conscience as a Chinese international law scholar to convey the unique voice of China to the international academia. She also encourages all winners of the scholarship to keep observing, keep thinking, keep applying, and keep improving.
Wang Fengquan
Wang Fengquan graduated with a bachelor's degree in Law from Peking University, where he was awarded a national scholarship for three consecutive years and named "Merit Student of Peking University", among other honors. This year, he was named as a "Rhodes Scholar" and an "Outstanding Graduate of Beijing" and will commence his further education at Oxford University in September for a Magister Juris/Mjur degree. He spends his leisure time swimming, debating, and in moot court competitions. Mr. Wang appreciates Han Kun's Youth Legal Scholarship for offering legal youth priceless potential to connect to the world while taking a solid foothold at home. According to Mr. Wang, the scholarship inspires Chinese law students to contemplate the big picture of their responsibility for social development and for promoting the prosperity of the legal industry, while offering generous financial aid to facilitate care-free conditions for their study, living, and broadening their horizons. Mr. Wang wishes to live up to Han Kun's original aspiration for launching this scholarship by staying committed to his own duties and contributing his part to China's rule of law construction. In the future, Mr. Wang wishes to pursue a career in academia. Thus, after finishing his Mjur degree program at Oxford, he plans to continue his education in the United States for a JD degree and another social science Ph.D. degree, which will enable him to analyze judicial regimes, litigation procedures, and other legal subjects from both legal and broader social perspectives. He also encourages potential applicants for the scholarship to have courage and make the move, as the journey itself has been precious for learning and growth, and the gains are much beyond simply winning the award.
Zhou Yitong
Zhou Yitong graduated from Peking University Law School with a bachelor's degree and is about to continue her studies at Oxford University for a MJur degree. During her studies at Peking University, Ms. Zhou was twice awarded a national scholarship. She has also won honors such as the Dao An Scholarship (funding top law school students/graduates at Peking University for their overseas studies or internships in international organizations) and the title of "Outstanding Graduate of Beijing". Ms. Zhou is keen to analyze social events through the lens of the law. She has participated in several academic research projects related to science and technology law, touching on subjects such as open-source software community and foundation, labor issues of Internet platforms, and facial recognition. She is also an enthusiastic social worker committed to NGOs and volunteer projects, and campaigning against gender violence through legal means. Ms. Zhou looks forward to her studies at Oxford, where she plans to further explore subjects such as international cooperation and human rights protection in the sci-tech era. She aspires to grow into an excellent legal professional with a global vision. During her application for the scholarship, Ms. Zhou was especially touched by Han Kun's zealous concern for the integration of law and social reality and the connection between China and the world, and its inspiration for the applicants to undertake social responsibility and develop a global view while enhancing their legal expertise. She is grateful that, given all challenges posed by the pandemic, Han Kun is still willing to provide scholarships to subsidize further education of Chinese law students and to offer a platform for the young legal generation to communicate and learn. Ms. Zhou hopes that the scholarship will continue to serve as an opportunity for future applicants to reflect on themselves and the world, spurring them on to find their passion and express their true selves.
Honorary Award Winners
Huang Wei
Huang Wei graduated from Zhejiang University with a bachelor's degree and from Tsinghua University with a master's degree and will continue to pursue a Ph.D. degree at Tsinghua University beginning this September. "Live everyday with relish" is the motto of Ms. Huang's life. Ms. Huang said that the marvelous journey of her application for the Han Kun scholarship acted as a bridge between two major learning stages of her life, allowing her to thoroughly reflect on her postgraduate time while preparing her for the upcoming pursuit of a Ph.D. During the application process, she has also made up her mind to become an educator in the future. Ms. Huang sincerely appreciates those carefully designed, open-ended written test questions, and the tailor-made interview questions giving full consideration to each candidate's specialized major, which offered each candidate a valuable learning opportunity. Ms. Huang is considerably grateful to have advanced to the final round. As she believes, the universe has its own law of balance beyond any individual's self-centered expectations, thus all efforts made in this world will have its influence in some way. Given that, she wishes, and is confident, that her efforts and good luck in this application process will be conveyed to benefit other peers in the future.
Xu Yiping
Xu Yiping graduated from Renmin University of China Law School and will pursue an LL.M. degree at UC Berkeley. She has participated and achieved excellent results in the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot Competitions, China's Challenge Cup competitions (a nationwide sci-tech and entrepreneurship competition series for university students co-hosted by multiple governmental-level authorities), Model United Nations held by University of International Relations, university-level debate competitions, Beijing Ming De Cup debate competitions, and others. Ms. Xu is a fan of puzzle games and handicrafts and is always keen on trying new things. She identifies with the idea of devotion and giving back to society that underlies the Han Kun scholarship and appreciates Han Kun's recognition and commendation. Ms. Xu aims to contribute her legal knowledge and skills to society and the legal industry by safeguarding artistic creation, business brands, and technology innovation in China. As a remark to both herself and future applicants, Ms. Xu encourages everyone to take heart and be an idealist with a down-to-earth mindset.
Xiao Yang
Xiao Yang graduated from Wuhan University with a Bachelor of Law degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree (French Language). He also obtained a Magister Juris degree from Oxford University and will continue his education at Oxford for a MPhil in Law degree. Mr. Xiao loves writing novels and intends to write a novel in the near future to depict real-life legal scenarios. Mr. Xiao regards his scholarship application as a restructuring process to reflect on his life both in retrospect and in prospect from a present standpoint, and he appreciates Han Kun's affirmation and support for the young legal generations in their unremitting pursuit of dreams. As for the future, Mr. Xiao wishes to continue his exploration in the field of intellectual property law and make his contribution to the evolution of this field in China. He also believes that altruism should always be the core of a legal professional's mission, and he encourages future applicants to pay more attention to the struggles, claims, and development of society while pursuing personal ambitions.
Zhang Wentao
Zhang Wentao graduated from the School of Law, University of International Business and Economics ("UIBE") with a bachelor's degree and will continue his studies at UIBE for a master's degree in International Commercial Law. Mr. Zhang loves basketball, coffee, and digital products. In the course of his scholarship application, he was deeply impressed by Han Kun's professionalism exemplified in every aspect of the selection process, from the interviewers' agile and insightful remarks on various legal topics to the highly organized selection procedure, which will serve as a role model to spur him on in his future professional endeavors. Mr. Zhang also appreciates Han Kun's recognition and wishes to further explore in the fields of antitrust law and data protection. He aspires to become a lawyer with solid legal expertise, a commercial mind, and a global perspective. He will always remember to assume his social responsibilities, bearing in mind that "the law is the art of goodness and fairness". Mr. Zhang also regards the application process as a precious opportunity for all applicants to understand the industry, communicate with senior legal generations, and reflect on themselves.
Zheng Jintao
Zheng Jintao graduated from Wuhan University and Tsinghua University with a bachelor's degree and a master's degree, respectively, and will continue to pursue a Ph.D. degree at Tsinghua University. Mr. Zheng enjoys reading books and playing basketball for leisure. He considered the application process to be a joyful journey and a course of learning where he was deeply impressed by the rigorous selection procedure and professional, comprehensive examination questions designed by Han Kun. Mr. Zheng highly appreciates Han Kun for providing such a valuable opportunity for law students and expressed his thankfulness to all panel members and personnel for their considerate arrangements and services. He is deeply touched by the firm's willingness and zeal to facilitate the growth of young legal generations and the legal profession in China. In the future, Mr. Zheng wishes to become an educator to share useful, interesting, and practical legal knowledge and mindsets with his students. Moreover, as he reckons, a sound legal mindset is also what Han Kun expects from excellent young legal professionals, so he suggests future applicants perform better in this regard.
Han Kun is a new-generation full-service law firm. While witnessing and benefitting from the tremendous change and rapid development of China, we have also seen firsthand the growing urgent need for high-end legal talents. Given that, aspiring to enhance the overall quality level of Chinese legal talents and facilitate the ongoing prosperity of China's legal industry, we inaugurated the "Han Kun Youth Legal Scholarship" project in 2012. The annual project aims to reward and subsidize young legal professionals who are committed to playing an active role in the development of their specialized legal areas and promoting overall social progress in an effort to support the pursuit of their dreams and to allow them to make greater contributions to the entire legal industry.
The mission of the "Han Kun Youth Legal Scholarship" is to "pass the torch", where "the torch" represents the spirit and idea of "talent cultivation for China's rule of law construction by helping law students to build, pursue, and realize dreams" and "pass on" urges young generations to "inherit their predecessors' wisdom and devote their vitality of youth", which is a process of gathering and conveying the special spirit of legal professionals. The year 2022 marks the 11th anniversary of the "Han Kun Youth Legal Scholarship". Over the past 11 years, we are delighted to see more and more law students preparing and expressing themselves on larger platforms, devoting themselves in real legal practice, and readying to play unique roles in China's rule of law construction.
The final examination panel congratulated all winners at the award ceremony. They felt honored to meet and know these 10 outstanding law students, and regarded the final examination as mutually beneficial, where the students not only had firsthand exchanges with their predecessors, but also exposed the older generations to the values and sense of mission of today's young people. The panel stressed their hope for the students to persevere with and internalize their pursuit of excellence after they complete their studies and step into real work environments, to fulfill their commitments and realize their dreams, to shoulder their social responsibilities and historical missions, and to benefit society with action and skills as a way to return all the kindness they have received. The panel also expressed their wishes for the Han Kun Youth Legal Scholarship, which has selflessly helped and inspired a great number of law students to have a brighter and lasting future and further conveys the firm's strong sense of social responsibility.
Li Xiaoming, Han Kun's Co-CEO, who was also a member of the final examination panel, made the following remarks: "At the 11th anniversary of the 'Han Kun Youth Legal Scholarship' and the outset of the second decade of the program, we will hold on to our simple but unswerving aspiration and sense of responsibility, and march on with greater, ongoing support for the growth of China's young legal generations, conveying the spirit of legal professionals in the new era. Thus, I sincerely hope that the torch of legal talent cultivation in China will be passed in blazing flames from generation to generation."
