White paper effect
Making changes is often easier in young schools, but for law schools with long histories, "many fixed ideas and models have already been formed and are hard to change," said Wang. As a new school, Tsinghua has been able to ignore many outmoded concepts and try new ideas.
The school also enrolls a small number of students every year to guarantee that each one receives a comparatively high quality education. Moreover, teachers are not permitted to join other activities, but must focus on the education instead.
Though the law school has not been named a key education base by the Ministry of Education, teachers and students there have more time for their own education and study, rather than shifting their energy to national research projects, according to a teacher at the law school.
And because all of its teachers are hired from other universities and abroad, they form a special academic environment. "The school pays us enough so there is no need to do other jobs," said another teacher.
Some teachers choose Tsinghua Law School because it provides a comparatively pure academic environment. "There are fewer distractions here; it is quieter for research and study. At the same time, you do not have many pressures like other traditional schools," said He Meihuan, an American Chinese who came to the school in 2002.
The exam trap
Another reason why the Tsinghua model attracts experts is that it provides a new way to view law education in China. "Law schools can in some sense decide how the law system changes in a country," said an expert.
In recent years, in order to pass state judicial exams (which are seen as a leg up for future job opportunities), students in many law schools have focused too much on books instead of real situations. In 2009, because of the pressure of exams, Tsinghua reopened some courses that it had previously cut.
"Many students are trapped by the exams. Although some of them may pass the tests, they still encounter obstacles later in their careers, which runs counter to the purpose of education," said Wang Baoshu, the first director of Tsinghua Law School.
"China has been thinking about law education for 30 years, but we are still looking for a proper method," added Wang.
