An exploration of Chinese Jurisprudence: stages, fields, and topics based on my experience

• Author: An exploration of Chinese Jurisprudence: stages, fields, and topics based on my experience
• Pages: 559-601

FRONTIERS OF LAW IN CHINA

VOL. 13 DECEMBER 2018 NO. 4

DOI 10.3868/s050-007-018-0038-6

FOCUS

CHINESE LEGAL SCIENCE IN THE 40 YEARS OF REFORM AND OPENING UP

AN EXPLORATION OF CHINESE JURISPRUDENCE: STAGES,

FIELDS, AND TOPICS BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE

ZHU Jingwen∗

Abstract Since reform and opening up, the development of Chinese jurisprudence has

experienced a tortuous course, the exploration of which is divided into three stages: the

entanglement of class nature, the dual role of Western jurisprudence, and the return of

Chinese jurisprudence. The author proposes a series of topics in eight fields, namely, the

changes of the political and legal thoughts of the leaders of the Communist Party of

China, socialist jurisprudence with Chinese characteristics, theory of the rule of law,

study of sociology of law, study of comparative law, study of law and globalization,

theory of legislation, and evaluation of the rule of law. Some of these topics have already

been solved. For others, only the basic framework for solving the problem has been

proposed. Even for the solved problems, due to social and economic changes, the

solutions will need to be re-proposed. Chinese jurisprudence should face China’s

problems.

Keywords Chinese jurisprudence, Western jurisprudence, comparative law, legal

sociology

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 561

I. THREE STAGES IN AN EXPLORATION OF CHINESE JURISPRUDENCE......................... 564

A. Entanglement of Class Struggle .....................................................................564

B. The Dual Roles of Western Jurisprudence ......................................................566

C. The Return of Chinese Jurisprudence.............................................................567

II. POLITICAL AND LEGAL THOUGHTS OF THE LEADERS OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY

OF CHINA................................................................................................................ 568

III. SOCIALIST JURISPRUDENCE WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS............................ 570

A. Rethinking of Marxist Jurisprudence..............................................................570

B. Marxist Jurisprudence and Basic Social System.............................................571

C. The Leadership of the Communist Party of China and the Socialist Rule of

∗ (朱景文) Master of Law in Jurisprudence, School of Law, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China;

Editor-in-Chief of Frontiers of Law in China; Professor in Jurisprudence, School of Law, Renmin University

of China, Beijing 100872, China. Contact: zhujw@ruc.edu.cn

560 FRONTIERS OF LAW IN CHINA [Vol. 13: 559

Law...............................................................................................................571

D. The View of the Overall Situation...................................................................572

E. Law Is the Rule-Oriented Politics ..................................................................573

F. Establishment of the Theoretical Confidence of Chinese Jurisprudence...........573

IV. THEORY OF THE RULE OF LAW .............................................................................. 575

A. The Rule of Law as a Historical Category......................................................575

B. The Universality and Particularity of the Rule of Law....................................575

C. Paradoxes in the Rule of Law ........................................................................576

D. The Rule of Law and Guanxi .........................................................................576

E. The Rule of Law and Good Governance .........................................................577

F. The Rule of Law and Dictatorship ..................................................................578

G. The Rule of Law and Rule of Virtue................................................................579

H. The Rule of Law Thinking..............................................................................580

I. The Rule of Law and Reform...........................................................................580

V. THE STUDY OF LEGAL SOCIOLOGY ........................................................................ 581

A. The Legal Model and Sociological Model of the Implementation of the Law ...581

B. Sociological Approaches to Legal Studies ......................................................581

C. Regularity and Normativity of Legal Phenomena...........................................582

D. Formalization and Informalization of Legal Construction..............................583

E. Framework of Comparative Sociology of Law................................................583

F. Choice of Methods to Resolve Disputes ..........................................................584

G. Professionalization of Legal Workers.............................................................585

VI. THE RESEARCH OF COMPARATIVE LAW ............................................................... 585

A. The Framework of Comparative Law Research............................................586

B. From Normative Comparison to Functional Comparison .............................586

C. Using Foreign Law in the Legislative Process in China................................587

D. Applying Foreign Law in Domestic Justice..................................................588

E. Characteristics of Chinese Law in the Perspective of Comparative Law .......588

VII. RESEARCH ON LAW AND GLOBALIZATION.......................................................... 588

A. Theory and Approach to Legal Globalization ..............................................589

B. Global Governance.....................................................................................589

C. Global Legal View......................................................................................590

D. Tributary System in Ancient China and Provincial System in Ancient Rome.591

E. Globalization and the Response of Chinese Law..........................................591

F. The Nature of EU Law.................................................................................592

VIII. LEGISLATIVE THEORY ........................................................................................ 593

A. Structure of Socialist Legal System with Chinese Characteristics ...............593

B. Research on Legislative Development Trends .............................................594

C. The Party Leadership in Lawmaking..........................................................594

D. Research on the Legislative Mechanism.....................................................595

E. Formulating Good Law Is the Premise of Administering the Country

2018] AN EXPLORATION OF CHINESE JURISPRUDENCE 561

According to Law.........................................................................................595

F. Public Participation in Lawmaking...............................................................596

G. Legislative Openness....................................................................................597

IX. EVALUATION OF THE RULE OF LAW ...................................................................... 598

A. Evaluation of the Rule of Law as a Part of Social Sciences...........................598

B. Independent Report of Law Development .....................................................598

C. Public Satisfaction with the Rule of Law ......................................................599

CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................ 599

INTRODUCTION

Since reform and opening up, Chinese jurisprudence has developed over a 40-year

period. This article attempts to summarize the stages of development, fields of

exploration, and topics of concern in China’s jurisprudence.

I entered the circle of legal education and research in the late 1970s. I was one of the

first postgraduate students of jurisprudence after reform and opening up. I experienced

the entire process of jurisprudence change, knew the weight of each jurisprudence topic,

and understood the difficulties of options of every reform, including the options that

posed both benefits and disadvantages. Through this, I experienced disappointment and

joy. The exploration of several topics in different fields and in different stages is the focus

of this article. Although this article does not represent all parts of exploration of China’s

jurisprudence, it can roughly outline the logic and primary developments since reform

and opening up.

The development of Chinese jurisprudence is full of arguments based on different

theoretical perspectives. It is closely related to the guiding ideology of the Communist

Party of China (CPC or Party) in the different periods and also to the positive and

negative experiences and lessons continuously summed up by our Party and country.

Therefore, it is of great significance to note the influence of the political and legal

ideologies of generations of leaders of the CPC — from MAO Zedong, DENG Xiaoping,

JIANG Zemin, and HU Jintao to XI Jinping — on Chinese jurisprudence, and to clarify

the internal logic of their thoughts.

I divide the exploration of Chinese jurisprudence into three stages since reform and

opening up. The first stage began in the late 1970s and early 1980s. China’s jurisprudence

research focused on the debates of “the rule of man and the rule by law,” “the class nature

and social nature of law,” and “the class nature and inheritance of law.” It is absolutely

necessary to break through the left thinking, especially the left flaws under the banner of

Marxism. However, in certain circumstances, especially after the Cultural Revolution and

the dramatic changes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, does China face such

issues based on what is left of Marxism? Is Marxism still effective? Are its basic

principles still our Party’s guiding ideology? I refer to this stage as the entanglement of

class struggle. The second stage applied Western theories to China and used them to