Studying at HSE: A Story of Liu Jingyi
My name is Liu Jingyi and my English name is Joyce, I am 23 years old now. I come from China and just came to HSE as an exchange student for my Master's degree. I was born in Hebei province that is near Beijing and I have lived in Beijing for more than 5 years.
I had to work hard to get a higher learning platform so I had no time to travel or cultivate a hobby. In my spare time, my father taught me soft pen calligraphy that changed me a lot. For example, my temper has become milder and calmer which was helpful for me to focus on my study and get higher score in the National College Entrance Examination. So after I went to the China University of Political Science and Law, I wanted to change the life style and explore the world. I once went to a middle school in Shandong Province in China to teach students as a volunteer because I wanted to help more student to embrace the world and help them inspire the passion of exploring and creating more possibilities of their life. In my opinion, knowledge is not the most important thing, developing a healthy and positive mode is the most crucial thing to the young men. What’s more, I also have studied first aid courses and obtained the certificate during the university because I wanted to gain more life experience and do my best to help others.
During my postgraduate studies, I did some internships but I realized that my life was too boring and lacked challenges. I didn't want to study or do internship like most people step by step just for finding a good job. I hoped there could be more possibilities in my life. It's not easy to live a decent life in Beijing, but I wanted to challenge myself and find out a kind of life that I really wanted to live. When I noticed the information about the exchange program, I submitted the application form without hesitation. Though there were some difficulties in the process of applying for a Russian visa because of the COVID-19, the staffs of the embassy got fever and we had to postpone the appointment. Actually, I only had a month to prepare all the materials and procedures, I usually felt a bit uncertain, restless and anxious, but eventually I passed the interview and received funding from the China Scholarship Council which I really appreciate my country a lot.
In terms of choosing the program, there are some reasons. I major in law and I studied law at China University of Political Science and Law for about 6 years. I really appreciate a great amount of famous professors in CUPL who helped me to obtain solid legal academics and also gave me an opportunity to go abroad, but I also realized that being in the same study environment for too long maked my mind provincial and entrenched. Therefore, I wanted to go abroad and learn comparative law so that I could broaden my horizon and especially change my entrenched ways of thinking.
I study commercial law that is necessary for me to master some knowledge of economics and finance related to the companies. For example, I once interned in a law firm and was responsible for the IPO of the company. I realized that only legal knowledge from textbooks and laws was not enough to solve real problems in practice. I had to find out about relevant financial and economic spheres, because most of the legal disputes in the company occured in transactions.
The faculty of economics in HSE ranks high in the world, so HSE is quite a good choice for me. I chose some courses like law and economics, corporate finance, corporate governance and compliance and international intellectual property law. Some of them are quite difficult for me because of the language barrier, but I know that only through challenges can I improve ourselves, and only by stepping out of my comfort zone can I become better.
Now I have arrived in Russia. I went to the Red Square and the Navy museum which impressed me a lot, especially the soldiers in the Red Square besides the eternal flame because there is a Chinese song named no tears in Moscow, one of the lyrics is parting at a winter night in Moscow, the column of troops guard in the streets which I listened to for many times before I came to Russia. As a result, the first time I saw the guarding soldiers in the Red Square I was quite impressed.
I really love the teachers and friends I have met in HSE. The teachers in the school are very responsible. When I have problems, Tatiana from SIMO always help me to solve the problems with patience and her smile also makes me feel relaxed and warm. The classmates in HSE are quite hard working and enthusiastic. Every time I go to the library, it's overcrowded with students studying. In particular, I am grateful that my roommate Thuong Cao who helped me a lot with my English and gave me this opportunity to introduce myself in the website of HSE to leave behind some memories in this school. Recently, I always communicated with Thuong Cao until late at night, her sincerity and diligence set a good example for me. What’s more, I also met some smart and friendly Chinese friends in HSE. When I first came to Moscow, they gave me a lot of help in life and study. I really like the atmosphere of HSE and I hope to meet more like-minded friends through this introduction and discuss law, economics and sociology together. I have recently been researching the supervisory mechanisms of State-Owned Enterprises, and if anyone is interested in this topic, you can contact me. What’s more, I am really interested in commercial law and I want to find a job related to international commercial, I wish I could use what I learned related with commercial law to reduce the risk of international trading, establish marketing channels and increase the exporter sales. I will also learn Russian during this exchange program so that I can have more communication with Russian people and know more about Russia.
In addition to studying, I enjoy watching plays, ballets and something like that. In China, I liked going to the theaters and my favorite drama director is Meng Jinghui, whose masterpieces are Rhinoceros in love, A murder in the hanging garden, and Letters from a strange woman. I think Meng Jinghui's dramas are full of passion and freedom, which is exactly what I yearn for in my life. Through drama, I can look at myself and shape my own views constantly. So that is why I want to explore more museums, parks and theaters in Moscow in the future. Through the exhibitions, the architectures and the art works, I will be able to quickly understand the culture and history of the country that can improve my artistic cultivation and make my exchange time more meaningful and rich.
I love the feeling of Russia as everything here is filled with freedom and romance and I always think this is really a great opportunity for me to step outside of my comfort zone and change my views. For example, I need to learn how to cook by myself, I need to overcome the fear and the lack of confidence, which helps me to be more independence and confident. Whenever I learn a new life skill or a new word, I always think that I am lucky to get this exchange opportunity. I think making new friends and exploring a new place is also a way to explore my heart, because through the process I can collide with different ideas and cultures, take the essence and remove the dross, find the life style that I really like with constant corrections. For example, I have met some friends from many countries, they let me know that there are many ways to live a life. I hope to be able to explore more of the world before I graduate, because as a Chinese proverb says, it is better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books. We need to open our mind to explore more and enjoy more. Nothing is too difficult if you put your heart into it，so just keep brave and create more possibilities of our life.
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