Exploration of New Qin Laws

Author: Cao Luning
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: The Qin Laws are the earliest and most valuable extant ancient written legal codes in China. The discovery of the Qin Laws bamboo slips from the Shuihudi site in 1975 is a major event in the history of Chinese and world law. Their excavation reveals that the State of Qin in the 3rd century BCE had already established a relatively complete legal system, demonstrating how the ruling class of Qin exerted influence and control over the lives of its subjects and how it regulated the state's political, economic, and military systems to achieve the goal of unifying the six states. Building on previous research, this paper utilizes bamboo slip materials, particularly newly unearthed Qin bamboo slips from Longgang and Zhangjiashan Han bamboo slips, supplemented by documentary evidence, to conduct an in-depth examination of issues such as the origins of the Qin Laws, the economic resource laws in the Qin Laws, the criminal punishments in the Qin Laws, and the relationship between the Qin Laws and the Han Laws. This research undoubtedly holds significance for understanding the Qin Laws themselves and their pioneering role in the history of ancient Chinese law, as well as in the relationship between the Qin Laws and the Han Laws.