Lawyer's Tea House. Issue 6

Author: Li Daiyan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: The rule of law also requires a corresponding environment. The rule of law is both a social management model and a social behavior pattern. In any country, the realization of the rule of law must be based on the behavioral habits of its citizens "playing by the rules," and the social environment plays a crucial role in shaping these habits. In a positive environment, people's behavior tends to be positive; in a negative environment, their behavior tends to become negative. In other words, the environment can change people's behavior. For example, many Chinese people have the habit of spitting everywhere, but they often restrain themselves in the clean and bright lobbies of five-star hotels. Many Chinese people lack the habit of obeying traffic rules, but they often follow the rules when traveling in well-organized foreign countries. The reason is the environment. Therefore, for China to become a modern rule-of-law state, it must strive to build an "environment for the rule of law" that suits its needs.
The so-called "environment for the rule of law" refers to a social environment that ensures and encourages people to act according to legal rules. In such an "environment for the rule of law," abiding by the law is the basic behavioral pattern of people. Whether it is high-ranking government officials or ordinary citizens, everyone must "play by the rules" honestly. In such an "environment for the rule of law," those who uphold the law are strong, and those who obey the law are numerous. Those with evil intentions or bad habits will, like spitting in the lobby of a five-star hotel, feel the pressure of the environment and consciously or unconsciously restrain their behavior.
Truly, creating such an "environment for the rule of law" is not an overnight or solo effort, but we must start today and start with ourselves. The academic style and writing style in the field of law now deserve reflection: we may read the adversarial nature of the law from Western systems but fail to notice the Chinese cultural emphasis on moderation; we may understand the norms of academic papers but cannot break free from rigid language. Such an atmosphere inevitably confines people's thoughts within rigid boxes.
The emergence of The Scholar's Tea House breaks this pattern. The Tea House advocates speaking in the language of ordinary people, discussing their concerns, and exploring legal principles in their daily lives. It is fresh and innovative, free from arrogance or forced application, offering only equal exchanges and intellectual collisions. It brings law out of the extraordinary "ivory tower" and into the homes of ordinary people—this is the consistent pursuit of The Scholar's Tea House.