"Finland is one the very few countries which provides a chance to study space law. I found out about this opportunity when I attended a space law conference in South-Korea where I met Lotta Viikari, a professor of space law from the University of Lapland. Later I contacted Viikari by e-mail.

I decided to come to the University of Lapland to do a doctoral degree because the doctoral programme here impressed me. It’s a demanding programme and I’m a person who loves pressure. The facilities are good and the Finnish education system is well-known. Studying here is different compared to my home-university, here the emphasis is on independent work. I also like the fact that there’s only one campus because in that way people are in closer contact with each other. I believe that studying in Finland will be beneficial considering my future. My plan is to finish my doctoral degree in Finland and stay in the academic field and maybe become a university teacher.

When I came to Finland in November 2010 my first conclusion about Lapland was that Finnish people are like the weather in here: cold and silent. But I soon realized that once you get to know them, you’ll see they are warm inside which makes it possible to establish good and long-lasting relationships. Finnish people are always willing to help you. Before coming here I had lived only in very crowded places and at first it was difficult for me to not have that many people around me. Later I got used to it and now Rovaniemi really feels like home to me. I can’t even imagine living in a crowded place anymore! "

Lu Zhuoyan, Doctoral Student in Space Law, from China