Ever wondered what it’s like to study abroad? ANU Law student ambassador Cherish Tay gives us the low-down on her adventures and experiences studying in Taiwan in her new blog series.

By Cherish Tay (student ambassador)

I’m now studying at the National Taiwan University’s (NTU) law department, which feels like taking the guest seat at the table of Taiwan’s deep-seated legalism, the fountain of Taiwan’s rule-based society.

The law department here is one of the most prestigious in Taiwan and many alumni hold influential positions in public and private law, including numerous former heads of government, important judicial figures and politicians.

The campus of NTU, with its wide tree-lined streets, ivy-covered buildings and quiet old courtyards, has a sense of grandeur that contrasts with the urban density of Taipei city. It seems to be letting you know that here is the nation’s best and brightest, studying at and forming the beating heart of Taiwan’s legal community.

Classes are located in the law department building named after President Tsai Ing-wen, a graduate of NTU Law herself. Some of the courses I am taking include Taiwan Constitution Law, Japanese Copyright Law and International Contracts.

I usually have one or two two-hour lectures a day and time to do the readings around these classes at one of the many great study spots on and off campus. Some of my favourites are the cafes around campus.

Unlike in Australia where cafes open for the morning rush and close in the afternoon, in Taiwan cafes often open mid-morning and stay open late to 10pm or midnight. Taipei has a thriving coffee culture with cafes in every nook and upstairs hideaway.

There are also multiple libraries on campus. The Law Library in particular is a fantastic place to study, located in the building next door to the law building. There are long study tables with overhead lamps for late night study, lots of old books and other students to keep you company in the trenches of exam week.

The faculty and students of NTU Law have also played their part in Taiwan’s development into a democracy. In 1990 it was 12 students from NTU Law who staged the first sit-in at Memorial Square to protest for free and fair elections.

The protest grew into a six-day demonstration attended by over 22,000 people and was dubbed the Wild Lily Movement. My professor of Taiwan Constitution Law was an academic at NTU Law at that time and explains it as a watershed moment in Taiwan’s successful transition from a one-party state into a pluralistic democracy.

Learning about Taiwan’s legal and political history in this place puts the vitality and energy of contemporary Taiwanese democracy into context in a way that wasn’t achievable without coming here on exchange.

National Taiwan University law library

In terms of what makes university fun, it’s all about clubs and societies. At NTU Market Day, it really seemed like NTU has a club or society for every activity you can think of. Interestingly, along with sports, extracurricular volunteering and cultural associations, there were also many Buddhist sects with branches at NTU, along with traditional Chinese music and creative arts clubs.

In the sweltering heat that day, I thought about how youth and energy, the power of a world-class education and a bold and adventurous orientation can be the foundation for momentous personal and political change. I decided to try something new, so joined the Argentine Tango club and have been getting my tango on every Monday since.

The skyscrapers and the eight lanes of traffic do put rush hour in Australia’s bush capital into perspective. Sometimes during this period of adjustment to a faster pace of life, I have found myself watching the traffic go by in fascination that so many people can live in one place.

NTU, located at the heart of Taipei city, throbs with the energy of a modern metropolis in which the rule of law and freedom have not always meant the same thing, but rather their coexistence have been hard won and is being continually interrogated.

This campus, which has not only fomented the rise of robust citizen power, may also be the site of new and interesting paragraphs in the exchange life of a certain law student lost on the underground metro in Taipei.