A Whirlwind in Taiwan

We made it from Hong Kong to Taipei without incident where we were met by our short-term colleague from Jodhpur, Mei-Hsin Wang (or Dr. Wang Mei-Hsin to be correct or simply Lily for the Chinese-name-pronunciation-challenged). Mei-Hsin took us to her flat where we relaxed for a couple of hours before traveling with her sister and brother-in-law to see Dan-Chaing University of the Arts where they both are on faculty. Mei-Hsin’s brother-in-law teaches set design and construction and was pleased to show us the university’s extensive facilities for the performing arts (multiply Regent’s Comm Building by two).

The next day took us back to the airport to pick up my NLU-Jodhpur colleague Seshan Radha, her husband (and professor of contracts and commercial transactions at NLU-Delhi) Amar Singh, and NLU-Delhi’s Vice-Chancellor Rambir Singh. We all hit the road to Touliu where we checked into a local hotel and then went to the Sword Lake Resort for an evening of shows and food to celebrate LaDonna’s birthday.

Monday morning we traveled by minibus to National Yunlin University where I spoke to 50 or so business students about negotiation skills and negotiating with Americans (from notes courtesy of Regent colleague Eric DeGroff). A quick lunch and then off to the Overseas Chinese Institute of Technology in Taichung where I talked to law students about the American contract law doctrines of the statute of frauds and the parol evidence rule (neither of which exist is domestic Taiwanese law). And then back to Taipei to crash.

We took it easy on Tuesday, visiting Soochow University, the Taipei High Court, Freedom Square (site of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial), the Ling Shan (Guandu) Buddhist Temple, and Taipei 101 (currently the world’s tallest completed skyscraper). A fine dinner with Chairman of Taiwan’s Herbal Medicine Committee rounded out the day. (BTW, the Herbal Medicine Committee (www.ccmp.gov.tw) is no joke; it sponsors clinical trials of traditional cures that have led to the issuance of a number of patents.)

Wednesday found our peripatetic lecture group making another presentation, this time at Shih Hsin University. I discussed a framework for integrating intellectual property into the traditional American 1L Property curriculum (largely cribbing from colleague Tom Folsom for this one) as well as the American understanding of (at least real and personal) "property" as a natural, pre-political right. That evening we dined with a number of legal academics from several Taipei law faculties as well Victor Chang, one of Taiwan’s leading advocates.

LaDonna and I toured the Dan Shui River area on our own Thursday morning before leaving for Hong Kong.

The whirlwind? Clearly Mei-Hsin who planed, organized, and executed this excellent opportunity to establish meaningful contacts in Taiwan.