Director of CCLS, Prof Ioannis Kokkoris hosted two alumni reunion in Beijing and Shanghai after nearly 4 years’ return to China.
On 16th June CCLS Director, Professor Ioannis Kokkoris, and the Head of Business Development and Programme Management (International), Christine Zhou, hosted an Alumni Reunion Event in Beijing. This was followed by another Reunion in Shanghai on 18th June.
There were impressive over 50 turn outs in both cities. Alumni appreciated the opportunity to be able to reunited with some of their fellow colleagues especially after the pandemic, they were delighted to learn about the new development and exciting work from CCLS. The alumni events were not only great for their own networking purposes, but also were useful for some alumni to understand and appreciate CCLS’ work in China and more broadly across the world, they were keen to be part of our initiative and support our growth in the future.
Su Ting (Comparative and International Dispute Resolution LLM, 2020) commented: "It was definitely a fantastic night spent in Beijing with Professor Kokkoris, CCLS colleagues and alumni. I've never even expected that I could meet those familiar faces I thought might never get chance to meet again. The dinner originised by Katherine also fits very much with this occasion with traditional Beijing roast duck and cuisines to welcome the guests who came from far away. I was so exited to meet so many QM fellow alumni and it's amazing to know that we all used to have the same great moment in Queen Mary and now have spread over the city and the whole country of China doing different work. We all exchanged contact details and hope we will get more chances to get together again in the future following this extraordinary gathering, which was a great start. I'm dying to have a reunion with my fellow alumni in London someday after this CCLS BJ reconnection."
Wang Fu (Law and Finance MSc, 2020) added: "The CCLS Alumni party in Shanghai was truly exciting! We really appreciated Professor Kokkoris and Christine Zhou for traveling a long distance to organize this event. The long separation due to COVID-19 made this reunion more valuable. In addition to the well-selected location and delicious cuisine, this event offered a great networking opportunity for us to meet old friends and make new friends. At this gathering, the alumni representing different legal areas shared their status updates and professional insights. The unforgettable experience of studying at the CCLS was also a common topic, which connected us closer by reliving wonderful memories. A reunion is a wonderful way to reconnect. We are looking forward to the next event and meeting more professors and alumni from the CCLS".
Yidian Xu (Banking and Finance MSc, 2018) also said: "As a Chinese graduate, I don't feel like I ever left Queen Mary. This continuing meetings of alumni year after year make me and also everyone else feel like we are always at CCLS. I never feel like I have left the alumni community, and we are always there for each other, as well as CCLS wherever in the world you are. I always look forward to the next meeting.”
Shusu Gao (Intellectual Property Law LLM, 2017) added: “Four years ago, we had an amazing reunion event in the British Embassy in Beijing. After going through four uneasy years of pandemic, we finally made it to reunite as one again. It was remarkable and we had a great CCLS Alumni party. It was a great opportunity to connect with our amazing fellow alumni, and to see not only our familiar friends but also meet some new faces. We were excited to share our life and work, and find out interesting and surprising connections. It feels like CCLS is our home and we can always listen to and help each other. Last, we all would love to thank Christine, Professor Kokkoris, and all our lovely QMUL staff for making it happen! Looking forward to the next meetup!”
Photos from the reunion will available on School of Law Flickr account.