Social Investigation of the Legal System in Late Qing Court Cases

Author: Zhao Xiaohua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-04-01
Features: During the late Qing Dynasty, when Chinese society was undergoing "a monumental transformation unprecedented in history," the relationship between law and the social system appeared highly contradictory and complex. This book conducts a historical examination of the late Qing litigation system from a social perspective. Based on an analysis of the social context in which the late Qing litigation system operated, the book elaborates on the severe crises of the late Qing litigation system from aspects such as unresolved cases, pending investigations, appeals to the capital, prison administration, and the social psychology influenced by the litigation system. The crises of the late Qing litigation system served as both an early sign and manifestation of social crises, as well as an important impetus for social reform. The operational conditions of the litigation system in the late Qing era also profoundly illustrate that the modernization of Chinese legal systems must rely on fundamental transformations of the social system.