I Went to Shanghai on an Exchange Programme
Introduction
I was a local graduate, so I never had the chance to live in a new city to attend college overseas. Participating in international moots in year three and pulling up my grades in year four of university also deprived me of any chance to go on exchange during university. So, when my boss informed me of the opportunity to participate in the inaugural Shanghai exchange programme, I did not immediately jump up and say yes.
I was apprehensive. As someone who almost failed Chinese at A levels, I was most certainly going to face communication issues in the programme. However, this was not the first time I had gone to Shanghai. In early 2017, as part of a two-man team, I travelled to Shanghai to attend a pre-moot for the Vis East competition, Moot Shanghai 2017. It would be nice to return to Shanghai and see how the city had developed since my last visit. I had heard many stories about the developments in technology and how integrated the payment systems were. This programme would also be a good opportunity to start expanding my own network for my career.
Guided by the colloquial principle “screw it, just whack”, I took the plunge and submitted my application. It therefore came as a pleasant surprise to know that I had been selected to participate in this programme. Being curious, I checked the name list of the Singapore delegation, and to my surprise, I identified several familiar names from my class in law school. This, indeed, was going to be the exchange I never had.
The Shanghai Experience
The Programme
Immediately after we landed in Shanghai, we were swept away on a week-long orientation programme where we visited various Shanghai law firms, special economic zones such as the Lingang Special Area, and the various arbitral institutions in Shanghai. It was also during this time where I met with my supervising lawyer for the programme, 安律师(Lawyer An).
After the orientation, we were informed that for the next three months, each of us would be attached to a participating law from Mondays to Thursdays, with a 交流 (jiaoliu) sharing session with each participating law firm for each of the Fridays.
Through these交流 (jiaoliu) sessions, we were engaged with our Shanghai counterparts on various topics, which ranged from cultural discussions for example, the differences in the working culture between Singaporean and Chinese lawyers and different pricing strategies between Singapore and Chinese firms, to more technical discussions like enforcement strategies of foreign judgment or awards in Singapore. Through these discussions, it helped me develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of how law firms conduct their business in China, and how Singapore firms can provide assistance and support for Chinese clients.
Of course, these sessions would also include a bit of fun. In one particular session, a law firm organised a trip to Shanghai Disneyland. In another particular session, we were taught a popular card game called 掼蛋 (guandan), and played with some of the lawyers hosting us. 掼蛋 (guandan) is essentially a version of daidi on steroids because it’s played with two decks of cards. Thanks to the time I spent during my national service playing daidi, I was able to put up a respectable performance on behalf of the Singapore delegation.
Daily Work Life
I was posted to Duan & Duan Law Firm for my attachment. In my application form, in line with the objective of my exchange programme to make new connections with lawyers from Shanghai, I specified that I would prefer to be posted to a dispute resolution team. Sure enough, the Shanghai Bar Association was happy to oblige, and I was informed on the first day of my attachment that I would be rotating with three of Duan & Duan’s eminent dispute resolution teams. I was thrilled.
This posting was fantastic because I soon found out that the office was located at the Shanghai Tower. This meant that my travel times were short – around 10 minutes by train from where we stayed. The train system in Shanghai was amazing. Payments using WeChat Pay or AliPay were also easy and convenient. There was no need to reach for cards, all I had to do was pull up my phone and scan the QR code at the gantry.
However, being posted to an office meant that I had to adjust to going back to the office daily and being on time. Having worked from home primarily for the last three years, I was so accustomed to waking up at 9am. Having to go back to the office physically was a strange change of pace. Luckily, due to the different sunrise timings, my sleep schedule was distorted. I found myself waking up at 6am to deal with my workload in Singapore, before proceeding to go to the Shanghai office. Being located in prime real estate also meant higher prices for food and beverages. As a caffeine addict, it pains my wallet that I have to pay around S$4-5 for a cup of coffee in the Shanghai Tower. I never imagined missing Singapore’s CBD priced kopi o kosong.
I was also impressed with the associates that I met in Shanghai. I asked a few of them what they planned to do after work and most of them replied that they would return home to continue working or revise aspects of the law that they felt they needed to brush up on. The dedication that these associates in Shanghai had to their job was impressive and inspiring. Nonetheless, I could also see that these associates looked as soulless as the associates in Singapore, only stirring back to life when you approached and asked them a question. It seems that the practice of law is universally stressful and tiring.
The work I was assigned to do in Duan & Duan consisted of drafting opinions pertaining to contracts governed by Singapore law or contracts whose dispute resolution clause was governed by Singapore law. It was heartening to see that many international contracts (especially those involving Asian counterparts) were governed by Singapore law or referred disputes to the SIAC. It was also eye-opening when a few of the Shanghai lawyers had expressed interest in referring their disputes to Singapore as the preferred dispute resolution centre. This is certainly a testament to the great work done by the SIAC and the SICC in advertising their institutions as the preferred avenues for international dispute resolution.
After the work day ended, I would then rush back to my Shanghai residence to keep up with my Singapore workload. This meant that, on most days, the food delivery app 美团 (Meituan) was my best friend. If you told me in Singapore that I had to order food delivery every day I would say that you were crazy because that would be too expensive. However, delivery fees in Shanghai only ranged between S$0.50-S$1. A lifesaver.
The Friends We Made Along the Way
During my time in Shanghai, Lawyer An had shown me tremendous hospitality by inviting me to meetings and dinners weekly. One of the memorable meetings was with a Japanese client invited by Lawyer An. Initially, I was nervous because Lawyer An informed me that this Japanese client could only speak Japanese and a little Mandarin and English. While my Mandarin was bad, my Japanese was worse. However, after a few glasses of wine, I found myself communicating in all three languages. I tried to break the ice by enquiring what his favourite music was. As a fan of citypop and 80s music, I knew I would hit something with that question. True enough, he told me his favourite band was Off Course, a Japanese folk rock band in the 80s. I know that band! After exchanging our favourite songs, he started singing to Off Course’s hit “Sayonara”. I don’t know what compelled me to sing along, but I would blame the wine.
Another memorable event was when I was invited to play badminton by one of the lawyers from Duan & Duan. I was apprehensive to participate initially. First of all, I am not an active person. I am the guy that spends his free time painting Warhammer 40k miniatures. Second, where am I going to even find a badminton racket? However, I didn’t want to give up the opportunity to make new connections, and I said “screw it, just whack”. 淘宝 (Taobao) also solved my racket problem with same-day delivery. Overall, it was a fun experience, and to my surprise, I managed to hold my own during badminton (they were definitely going easy on me) although my legs were totally destroyed for the next few weeks.
Last of all were the new friendships I made amongst the Singapore delegates. After a long day at work, getting a drink at one of the many unique bars that littered the streets of 长乐路 (Changlelu) is a good way of making friends.
Key Takeaways
Aside from having grown accustomed to abusing the food delivery app 美团 (Meituan), and having participated in overconsumption of 淘宝 (Taobao), here are some of my thoughts from this experience.
First, there appears to be more collaborative opportunities between Singapore and Shanghai firms. As more Chinese companies seek to establish a footprint in Singapore or use Singapore as a springboard into Southeast Asia, and more Chinese individuals seek to move their wealth to Singapore, there is great potential for future collaborations between lawyers from both countries.
Second, cultural sensitivities are hard to pick up without experiencing the culture. This programme allowed me the first-hand opportunity to observe and understand the needs and expectations of Chinese businesses and the nuances of law practice in Shanghai. This experience enabled me to better understand how Chinese lawyers and clients work and think, which definitely helped me provide better service to my Chinese clients.
Third, when unsure about a potential opportunity, don’t be afraid of failure or rejection and just jump straight in. The upside potential usually outweighs any downsides and at the very least, you’ll end up with a good story to share – “screw it, just whack”.
This Shanghai exchange programme has left me excited for what the future holds for both law firms in Singapore and Shanghai and I would strongly recommend anyone who is interested to participate in future exchange opportunities.
This leaves me to thank my firm for supporting me in this programme and both the Singapore Ministry of Law and the Shanghai Bar Association for their wonderful work in making these exchanges possible to strengthen the ties between the legal communities in both cities.
