Shanghai 2012

ISIL Asia Regional Conference

Hilton DoubleTree Hotel
Huaqiao/Kunshan, China
July 20-23, 2012

You have a unique opportunity this summer to meet members of the growing free-market movement in China as well as other fascinating libertarians from around the world, and also enjoy the opportunity to explore this ancient and exotic country with our post-conference tour options.  ISIL is co-sponsoring the Austrian Economics Summit/ISIL Asia Regional Conference, and you are invited to participate in this exciting, historic event!

Along with the fall of the Soviet Union, the world’s most momentous story of the last 30 years has been the rise of China from communist basketcase to a largely free-market economic powerhouse, yet still under the rule of the Communist Party.  The situation is highly complex.

Li Zhao Schoolland, a native of mainland China, informs us that there is a considerable free-market intellectual network in China.  Hayek’s The Constitution of Liberty has been a best-seller.  Many other translated works on liberty are widely available.

The past two years, Li has organized highly-successful student Austrian Economics Summer Seminars at Northeastern University in Shenyang, and will do a third one in July, 2012.  ISIL has provided financial support to these student seminars.

Li is also organizing this Austrian Economics Summit/ISIL Regional Conference in Shanghai at the Huaquio/Kunshan Hilton/Double Tree Hotel, running from evening July 20th through the 22nd, with checkout on the 23rd , plus post-conference tour options. 

ISIL is co-sponsoring the conference as an Asian regional event, and is encouraging international libertarians to attend, and to explore this fascinating country.

The goal of the 2012 Shanghai conference is to expound on free-market ideas to a Chinese audience and to learn what free-market economists are doing in China. There will be three groups in attendance: 1) international attendees who are interested in both free markets and China; 2) Chinese academic and research economists who are interested in free-market ideas; and 3) university students who want to learn about free-market principles that are not taught in China.

This symposium is not affiliated with any government institutions in China. Therefore it is not registered with the Chinese government, but it is totally safe. Li just returned from a two-week planning trip to Shanghai where she met with many of the libertarian activists and academics. The Chinese label this summer symposium "a private intellectual dialogue, aiming to help China to grow."

If you have further questions, please contact Li Schoolland at email: li.schoolland@gmail.com, or call 1-808-389-3896.

Help Students to Benefit from the ISIL Conference
ISIL has sponsored hundreds of students, mainly from the ex-communist countries, to the recent conferences.  The students, who could otherwise not hope to afford the conference, have benefited greatly from the speakers and by meeting international libertarians.  Many have gone home full of ideas and inspiration and have formed organizations and publishing projects, or become teachers and organizers of the Liberty English Camps for youth education that have also been supported by ISIL.

Our goal for Shanghai is 50 students.  More if we can afford more.  We expect to bring them this year primarily from other Asian countries.  The students are responsible for their own travel, and must pay at least a token registration.  No such thing as a free lunch!

Each scholarship will costs us $800.  We seek to raise $40,000 to bring in all these young people.

This is a great investment in the future growth of the global liberty movement.  Please go to the ISIL Donation page to contribute to the ISIL Conference Scholarship Fund.  Any amount appreciated! (These contributions to ISIL are tax-deductible in the USA).