Shan Cao

Practice Areas

Construction projects, real estate, infrastructure, public-private partnerships (PPP), and new energy

Career

Since April 2021, she has served as a Senior Partner at DeHeng Law Offices, and since February 2026, she became a global partner of DeHeng Law Offices.

From May 2009 to March 2021, she served as Deputy Director and Senior Partner at City Development Law Firm.

From May 2005 to April 2009, she served as a Senior Partner at Jiangsu Jinding Yingjie Law Firm.

From 2001 to April 2005, she worked as a lawyer at Jc Master Law Offices.

From August 1990 to 2001, she served as a foreman and project manager at the First Construction Engineering Bureau of China.

Professional Memberships

Deputy Director of the Construction Engineering and Real Estate Committee of the All-China Lawyers Association

Legal Advisor, Department of Construction Market Supervision, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development

Member of the Professional Committee on Building Industry Transformation and Upgrading under the Science and Technology Committee of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development

Expert from the "Civil and Administrative Prosecution Expert Information Network" of the Supreme People's Procuratorate

Legal Advisor to the Huangpu District Government of Shanghai; Non-permanent Member of the Huangpu District Administrative Reconsideration Committee of Shanghai

Vice President of the Legal Services and Dispute Mediation Committee of the China Construction Industry Association

Vice President of the Construction Industry Branch of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and Think Tank Expert

External Legal Advisor to the People's Government of Huangpu District, Shanghai

Legal Advisor to the Xinghua Municipal Committee and the Municipal People's Government

Arbitrators of the Wuhan Arbitration Commission, Nanjing Arbitration Commission, Xi'an Arbitration Commission, Tangshan Arbitration Commission, Zhuhai Arbitration Commission; International Arbitration Institute of Ganjiang New Area; Wuxi Arbitration Commission; Ma'anshan Arbitration Commission; Arbitrators of the Beihai Arbitration Commission/Beihai International Arbitration Institute; Member of the Expert Advisory Committee of the Tangshan Arbitration Commission; Expert in Construction Project Dispute Review at the Beijing Arbitration Commission

Mediator of the Engineering Cost Dispute Mediation Center, China Construction Engineering Cost Management Association

Member of the Seventh Engineering and Legal Professional Committee of the Architectural Economics Branch of the China Architectural Society

Expert from the Expert Database of the China International Engineering Consulting Association Training Center

Expert Consultant for Real Estate and Construction Engineering Cases at the Higher People's Court of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Member of the Public-Private Partnership Research Committee, China Finance Society

Industry Mentor for Graduate Students in Civil Engineering and Water Resources at Harbin Institute of Technology

Visiting Professor at the National Mayors Training Institute (Cadre College of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development), and Visiting Professor at East China University of Political Science and Law and Southeast University

Vice Chairman of the Board and Member of the Editorial Committee of the China Survey and Design Magazine

Expert Member of the Academic Committee of China Tendering Magazine

Experts from the PPP expert databases of multiple provinces, including Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Yunnan, Jiangxi, and Heilongjiang.

Shanghai Municipal Government Procurement Evaluation Expert (Construction Projects, Urban Infrastructure, PPP); Senior Economic Expert Judge for Bidding and Evaluation of Infrastructure Construction Projects at the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Construction

Publications

Cao Shan. (2025). Engineering Bidding and Contract Management. China: China Architecture & Building Press.

Cao Shan. (2024). Practical Operations of Engineering Project General Contracting. China: China Legal Publishing House.

Cao Shan. (2024). Examples of Preparing Subcontract Contracts for Construction Engineering Civil Works. China: China Architecture & Building Press.

Cao Shan. (2023). Practical Guidelines and Legal Risk Prevention & Control for the Full Process of Infrastructure Investment and Construction Projects. China: China Legal Publishing House.

Cao Shan. (2023). Compendium of Judicial Perspectives on Construction Project Cases (3rd ed.). China: China Legal Publishing House.

Cao Shan. (2022). Judicial Rules for Construction Project Contract Dispute Cases (Vol. III). China: The People's Court Press.

Cao Shan. (2021). Guidelines for Using the Construction Project General Contracting Contract (Model Text) (GF-2020-0216). China: China Architecture & Building Press.

Cao Shan. (2021). Application Guide for the Construction Project General Contracting Contract (Model Text) (GF-2020-0216). China: China Legal Publishing House.

Cao Shan. (2020). Guidelines for the Application of the Administrative Measures for the Identification and Investigation of Illegal Acts in Construction Project Awarding and Contracting. China: China Legal Publishing House.

Cao Shan. (2020). Understanding and Application of the Administrative Measures for General Contracting of Housing Construction and Municipal Infrastructure Projects. China: China Legal Publishing House.

Cao Shan. (2019). Understanding, Application and Practical Guide to the Judicial Interpretation (II) of the Supreme People’s Court on Construction Project Contracts. China: China Legal Publishing House.

Cao Shan. (2018). Key Difficulties Analysis and Typical Case Interpretation of PPP Operation. China: China Legal Publishing House.

Cao Shan. (2016). Legal Practice of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Projects. China: China Legal Publishing House.

Cao Shan. (2015). Compilation of Policies, Regulations and Model Texts for Public-Private Partnership (PPP). China: China Legal Publishing House.

Cao Shan. (2017). Collection of Judicial Perspectives on Construction Project Cases. China: China Legal Publishing House.

Cao Shan. (2017). Collection of Judicial Perspectives on Real Estate Cases. China: China Legal Publishing House.

Cao Shan. (2015). Practical Operation and Trial Research on Cooperative Development of Military Land. China: China Legal Publishing House.

Cao Shan. (2013). Guidelines for the Use of Construction Project Construction Contract (Model Text) (GF-2013-0201). China: China Architecture & Building Press.

Cao Shan. (2012). Legal Practice of Military Real Estate and Construction Engineering. China: China Legal Publishing House.

Personal

Lawyer Cao Shan, Global Partner at DeHeng Law Offices, has over 25 years of experience in the legal profession and holds the title of Senior Attorney. She specializes in real estate and construction, engineering, infrastructure, public-private partnerships (PPP), and new energy sectors, with expertise in resolving complex construction dispute cases. She has represented numerous major cases heard by the Supreme People's Court, provincial high courts, and arbitration commissions. Additionally, she has provided non-litigation legal services for numerous large-scale infrastructure, real estate, and construction projects.

She possesses ten years of project management experience in large construction enterprises and holds multiple qualifications, including Senior Civil Engineer, Class I Civil Project Manager, Class I Civil Constructor, Civil Cost Engineer, IPMP International Engineering Senior (B) Project Manager, and Chartered Surveyor of the UK.

Clients

Lawyer CAO’s key clients include large enterprises such as Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd., Shaanxi Construction Group Co., Ltd., Everbright Environmental Protection (China) Co., Ltd., State Power Investment Corporation Limited, Beijing Construction Group Co., Ltd., China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited, and China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

Work Highlights

Dispute Resolution Legal Services

Represented a large real estate company in Jiangsu before the Supreme People’s Court in a case involving land use right recovery compensation of RMB 2.3 billion.

Handled the protest case of an urban old district renovation real estate project for China Railway Beijing Bureau Group Co., Ltd.

Represented a developer in Nanjing in a property damage compensation lawsuit filed by property owners arising from rainstorm incidents; won full victories in both the first and second instances. The case was selected into the Gazette of the Higher People’s Court of Jiangsu Province (Issue 4, 2012) and the Gazette of the Supreme People’s Court (Issue 5, 2013).

Represented a mega construction enterprise in Shanghai in filing a claim of nearly RMB 300 million against a U.S. investment company.

Represented a major real estate developer in Nanjing in a land transfer case with a value of nearly RMB 1 billion.

Acted for a Shanghai equity investment fund management company in a real estate cooperation and joint venture dispute against a municipal construction company and a real estate development company in Hangzhou.

Represented a large state-owned construction and investment group in Gansu Province in a construction contract dispute with a disputed amount of RMB 110 million.

Represented a major construction enterprise in Shanghai in a construction contract dispute involving RMB 630 million.

Represented a mega national construction enterprise in an arbitration case over a construction contract dispute with a value of RMB 400 million.

Represented a mega construction enterprise limited company in Shanghai in a construction contract dispute involving RMB 214 million.

Represented a large state-owned construction enterprise in Beijing in recovering project funds and interest losses of RMB 200 million from a Beijing real estate developer and its wholly-owned subsidiary.

Represented a large construction enterprise in a construction contract dispute concerning the status of actual constructors.

Represented a central state-owned construction enterprise in a construction contract dispute against a local government, claiming nearly RMB 100 million for expected benefits under a preliminary contract.

Successfully recovered over RMB 100 million in project funds from an anonymous project developer for a mega construction enterprise in Shanghai.

Represented a mega construction enterprise in Shanghai in an arbitration case over social insurance premium disputes arising from construction contracts.

Industry Sector Expertise

Lawyer Cao Shan excels at handling difficult and complex dispute resolution cases in the construction engineering field, and has repeatedly represented clients in major cases heard by the Supreme People’s Court, various Higher People’s Courts and arbitration commissions across China.

Languages Spoken

Chinese, English

Education

Awards