Personal Statement

Applied Program: Economics

It has been frequently asserted in both Chinese and overseas media that, in the 21st century, with the unprecedented development of China’s economy, there would emerge a host of top-level Chinese economists on the international academic arena. Economics as a social science, a system of logic essentially used to explain society’s economic phenomena, has shifted its center of theoretical research from Britain to the United States. Although the claim that China is to supersede its Western predecessors in the research of economics is open to dispute, the unprecedented and most miraculous economic growth of China over the past two decades unmistakably testifies to the surprising rise of status of China’s economy within the general framework of the global economy. Inevitably, the importance of China’s economic research will correspondingly been enhanced within the overall framework of international academic community. As a university student who is enamored of economics and is determined to grow into a successful economist in the future, I feel greatly encouraged by the above prospect. China’s economic development is bound to provide crucial opportunities for us to make important theoretical contributions to the research on Chinese economy in particular and to that of the world economy as a whole.

The failure to exercise my fullest potentialities during the most competitive nationwide university entrance examinations (there are approximately 3 million participants each year) prevented me from entering the most prestigious university that I had desired. Nevertheless, I still congratulate myself for my persistence with which I decided to pursue my undergraduate studies in economics, a subject that holds me in deep fascination. The reason why economics casts such an enchantment over me is its close integration of theory and realities. Economics is concerned about realities and any economic research divorced from reality is empty and meaningless. Although any form of natural resource is limited and hence exhaustible, economics can teach us how to maximize economic benefits from the minimum natural and human resources. On the other hand, economics is extremely rigorous. In economics, all theories have to be founded upon reasonable hypotheses and must be subjected to the most rigorous scrutiny and verifications. They can be well-established only after numerous debates and modifications. Moreover, economics is romantic. As the economic realities change over the times, every economic theory is also liable to changes and revisions. It never remains constant and it changes all the time. This “fickleness” of economics is like the feelings of falling in love for the first time in life, which have a charm in itself. Those aspects of rigorousness, romantics and pragmatism of economics have made it all the more fascinating to me. The study of it has not only imparted to me the knowledge in the academic sense, but also become part of my understanding of life. Academically and psychologically, I become increasingly mature as I delve ever deeper into my studies.

Although my Alma Mater is not the most prestigious institution of higher learning in China, nevertheless it is the first specialized business school in China, founded for training professionals well-versed in international economics and business. The school attaches special importance to the teaching of foundational knowledge of economics. The benefit of such a practice is that it has enabled me to establish an unusually solid foundation in economics and in mathematics, in addition to developing sound theoretical qualities in economic research on my part. The result is my increased passion for and confidence in economics as a discipline. Books on economics written by Western economists and scholars in original English version have accompanied my entire undergraduate life. Both macroeconomics and microeconomics have helped me understand the essence of economics in a comprehensive and in-depth manner. My extracurricular life is enriched by my active participation in many academic conferences and lectures. My wholehearted dedication to studies resulted in outstanding scholastic performance. My comprehensive ranking reached top 5% in the entire department for four consecutive years and I have received scholarships on a number of occasions.

Although to a large extent economics is fascinating to me for its diversity of theories, I believe that it is useful only when applied to the problems in the real world. Under such a belief, I spent two summer vacations participating in on-the-spot investigations of the local economic development. The first is a case study. In 1999, I worked as a member of the environmental protection team of the Songhuajiang Valley organized by our university. By investigating the relationship between the environmental pollution and the economic performance of the towns, cities, and the rural areas along the Valley and by applying comparative statistical analyses of the data from the perspective of economics, we found that as the region’s industrialization continues, the percentage of both the direct and the indirect economic losses caused by environmental pollution in that region’s entire GDP will increase from the current 10% to an alarming degree in the coming decade. The entire northeast region of China will suffer from severe economic impairment. We submitted our data and conclusions based on our investigations to the local government and pointed out the severity of the possible consequences. By exercising the knowledge we have acquired and making detailed analysis based on our research findings, we proposed useful suggestions to the local government. The local government responded to our research positively by adopting immediate and necessary environmental protection measures and integrating our findings into its formulation of future policies. Seeing the local government’s positive reactions, I derived a tremendous sense of achievement from this experience.

The most important project of social practice I undertook happened in 2001 when I, at my own expense, paid an extended visit to Yan’An, an economically depressed region located in Shuanxi Province. By studying the differences between the southern and northern parts of Yan’an created by different geographical and climatic factors, I found that those two parts had strong complementarity in their respective economic development. As a traditional farming area, the southern part enjoys good natural environment and produces abundant farming products. However, restricted by backward traffic conditions, those products simply could not be sold in large quantities to the outside world, resulting in the general poverty of local farmers. By contrast, the northern part is an emerging industrial area with limited supply of farm products. The rapid economic and population growth in the area has formed a potentially huge consumer market for farm products. On the basis of those findings, I suggested that the Yan’An Region should primarily rely on the construction of well-developed highway network to facilitate the transportation of the farm products from the southern part into the northern part and its peripheral areas. On the other hand, the regional government can use the profits from the newly emerged industries in the north to enhance the scientific and technological level of farm production in the south. In this way, a comprehensive mode of economic development for the Yan’An Region can be created, causing the region to ultimately get rid of its unbalanced economic development and hence to get rid of its ancient poverty. Once again, my ideas aroused the serious interest of the local government and were highly evaluated. When I returned to my campus, I wrote a thesis entitled Economic Development in Yan’An by Synthesizing Respective Regional Advantages, which later won the second-class award of the University’s 2001 Scientific Research.

In retrospect, the yearning eyes of the local farmers whom I interviewed wrought an indelible memory inside me. Those were the eyes that were filled with expectations and hope, eyes that made me aware of my heavy responsibility as a student of economics. I feel that I am under the moral obligation to help alleviate the heavy burden of economic poverty.

Still, I feel that I am very fortunate to live in this age of amazing economic transformation and development. China’s successful accession into the WTO has brought important challenges and opportunities. Along with those challenges and opportunities is the arrival of the golden age for economic research. The more vigorous the economic development, the greater the need for the theoretical guidelines of economics. The issue of how China can smoothly yet completely be integrated into the global economic framework, the issue of the integration of regional economies, and the issue global economic cycle, the issue of international economic transmission, and the issue of new international economic order and mechanism, all those call for the guidance from mature economic theories. Under such circumstances, I have come to realize that it is absolutely necessary for me to seek an advanced degree program in economics (with special emphasis on Policy and Strategy and/or in Development Economics) in the United States, a country with the most developed economy and theories of economics. Policy and Strategy or Development Economics is a subject that encompasses both the methodology for formulating economic policies and the designing of the mode of economic development for developing nations. While directly experiencing the mechanisms for successful economic operations of the United States, I will endeavor to assimilate the most advanced economic theories and valuable research experience at your highly esteemed university.

As I have pointed out, the study of economics is meaningful to the extent that it is combined with realistic problems. Remembering this, I will apply what I have learned in the United States to diverse economic phenomena that keep emerging in the Chinese society. Some of those phenomena are distinctively Chinese and my study of them would contribute to the understandings of economics as a whole. Nevertheless, as economic globalization accelerates at an unprecedented rate throughout the world, China’s economy will be part of the world economy and as such has to conform to global conventions. Therefore, my studies in the United States will be most useful in recognizing those parts of American economic theories that are applicable to similar economic problems in China and provide important lessons. In this case, my role is that of an “interpreter” who can share with my countrymen my understanding of China’s domestic economy in particular and of the world economy in general. I would be happy to be such an “interpreter”.

Signature ________________________

Appendix:

A more detailed description of my important work experience between 1995 and 2002

The handovers of Hong Kong and Macao have been celebrated largely as two major political and diplomatic events both domestically and internationally. To me, however, they represent two major legal events and I congratulate myself for my personal involvement in those two historical events. After obtaining my Master’s Degree in 1995, I have worked first at the Department of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs (1995~1999) and then at the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Macao Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China (1999 ~ present). In the first workplace, I participated in the Sino-British and Sino-Portuguese negotiations concerning the handovers of Hong Kong and Macao. I also participated in the Sino-British negotiations regarding the stationing of Chinese troops in Hong Kong after the handover. I was responsible for drafting the instructions request to the State Council regarding the principle of continued application of international conventions in Macao after its handover (The ratification of this request enabled the Sino-Portuguese United Liaison Group smoothly and methodically worked out the complicated and the difficult problem of the continued application of more than 200 international convention in post-handover Macao). I participated in the legal localization of a number of Macao’s existing major codes such as Macao Civil Code, Corporate Code, Civil Lawsuit Code, Administrative Procedure Code, Administrative Lawsuit Code, etc, which helped to ensure the continuity and completeness of Macao’s post-handover legal framework. In the second workplace, I have been mainly in charge of the specific application and enforcement of international conventions in Macao as a special administrative region. Apart from that, I am in charge of submitting Macao’s report of Human Rights Convention to international organizations, signing bilateral agreements with foreign countries on behalf of Macao, and implementing in Macao the relevant sanction resolutions by the United Nations. Despite the fact that all the legal activities we have undertaken in Macao have no precedents in the international community, our work has received general understanding and support from the international community and won high appreciation from the Macao government and local residents, for we have acted in strict accordance with the Basic Law of Macao and with international laws.

As a legal specialist, I feel proud of the important role I played in those important activities. At the same time, I have come to realize that certain gaps exist between China and western countries in the legal awareness when dealing with relevant conventions and legislation regarding basic human rights. This has prompted me to make serious reflections on China’s existing legal system and its education in jurisprudence.

Responses (of no more than 250 words each) to the following

Yours reasons for seeking admission to Yale’s LL.M. Program
Your short- and long-term career plans following the completion of your graduate law studies
Your plans for teaching after you graduate from law school. (Please indicate your areas of interest and what arrangement, if any, you have concerning employment)

Yale University is an internationally renowned university and as the most prestigious law school in the world, Yale Law School has produced a large number of legal professionals over the past century who have contributed immensely the legal enterprise as a whole. As an international student, I have long cherished the wish to seek admission to such a reputed law school. Yale Law School is very concerned with China’s legal reform and has established close exchange and cooperation relationships with China. To be admitted by such a law school which has such a deep understanding and concern for China accords with my purpose of my present application—to learn and to borrow advanced concepts and experiences from American legal system and apply them to the problems that exist in China’s legal system, to dedicate myself to the ongoing legal and judicial reform in China and to be involved in the teaching and the research of law. Also, if admitted, my affinity with Yale Law School will constitute an important asset with which I will endeavor to further promote the exchanges between China and Yale Law School. Prof. Wang X X, the supervisor of my Master’s Program, sought a Ph.D. degree from Yale Law School. After completing his studies and returning to China, he has made important achievements in both the theory and the practice of human rights protection. He has set a “precedent” for me to follow. I believe that by following his footsteps, my academic and career pursuits will prove equally fruitful.

Following the completion of my graduate law studies, I plan to return to Fudan University, my Alma Mater, to seek a teaching and research position at its law school from which I myself graduated. Fudan University Law School is one of the most prestigious law schools in China, with a democratic and liberal academic atmosphere. There is a galaxy of experts in jurisprudence who have a strong sense of social justice and responsibility. It is both an obligation and an honor for me to join this group of legal talents. Together with them, I will endeavor to disseminate advanced legal ideas, train my prospective students into legal professionals equipped with the spirit of social equality and justice, and democracy. Meanwhile, I will continue to play an active role in Center for the Protection of Rights of Disadvantaged Citizens by providing more effective legal support. Apart from that, I plan to cooperate with law departments in other universities and with a number of law firms by establishing a nationwide non-governmental legal support network. The network will be designed to supply legal aid to those who need help, especially those unemployed people and those living in remote rural areas. As one of the first legal volunteers with three-year experience working at this center, I am confident about its future development.

My long-term career plan is to provide professional legal consultations to the Central Government’s decision-making organizations and legislative organs. Based on my acute social observations, my research and problem-solving abilities, and my 7-year work experience in legal affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, I am sure I can become an important think-tanker to the Government.

As has been stated, my post-graduation plan is to take up a teaching and research career at the Law School of Fudan University, my Alma Mater. The courses that I will possibly offer include Jurisprudence in the West, Rule of Law, Constitution, Human Rights Law, Reforms in China’s Legal and Judicial Systems and other related subjects. I will focus on comparative studies of Chinese and American legal systems, with special emphasis on their respective judicial systems, modes of litigation, appointments of judicial personnel, the guarantee of civil rights, systems of legal support, etc. Out of those explorations and based on my studies at Yale Law School, I will try to propose possible solutions to the evils inherent in the existing Chinese legal and judicial systems.

Any social reform is always preceded by ideological liberalization and education. The reform in Chinese legal system is no exception. Whether China can develop into a country ruled by law largely depends on the extent to which its legal elites publicize and propagate the notions of rule of law in the Chinese society. Naturally, this sacred mission is to be carried out by legal educators of this generation of legal professionals including me.

For this reason, I have discussed with the dean of Law School, Fudan University, indicating my intention of employment with the School. The dean has expressed his full support for my seeking further education in the Yale Law School. He warmly welcomes my decision and will be looking forward to my arrival.