Criminal Law Issues and Debates (2003, Issue No. 7)

Author: Yu Zhigang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: China has a long-standing legal culture tradition of "emphasizing criminal law over civil law" and "prioritizing criminal law." As a result, criminal law theory has been rich and profound since ancient times. After the founding of the new China, the criminal law system has gradually been improved and refined, leading to the vigorous development of criminal law theory research. Especially since the 1980s, the criminal law academic circles have embraced the spirit of "let a hundred flowers bloom and let a hundred schools of thought contend," with scholars working together to advance the field. Academic achievements have continuously climbed, with fruitful research outcomes, presenting a scene of prosperity: not only has the research scope been expanding, but also the focal points and hot issues of academic debate have been rising one after another without interruption. Today, after decades of joint efforts by the academic community, China's criminal law research has flourished and achieved remarkable results: the criminal law system has been gradually improved and refined, academic foundations have become increasingly extensive and profound, the level of criminal law theory research has been continuously raised, the transformation of criminal law concepts has become increasingly significant, the research scope continues to expand, research directions and methods tend to be scientific, academic exchanges and international cooperation are booming, the construction of the discipline and the allocation of research resources are becoming more rational, and the establishment of academic teams and the cultivation of talents have entered the right track. The improvement in the level of theoretical research and the deepening of research perspectives have also brought some issues worthy of attention: on one hand, purely theoretical research may be difficult to be published due to its limited practical significance, especially large-scale research involving detailed issues. On the other hand, in the context of the flourishing criminal law academia with many renowned scholars, the "Matthew effect" is more pronounced. Many journals compete to invite and publish articles by senior scholars who have already entered a virtuous cycle, while young scholars, as "latecomers," can only quietly survive in the gaps of academia. Even if they occasionally have sparks of thought, they can only keep them locked away or adapt their forms to co-author with renowned scholars to get published. This journal, Criminal Law Issues and Debates, initiated by young scholars, enters a transitional period and is willing to take on the responsibility of solving the above issues: not only can it and hopes to accept and publish large-scale articles with academic "deepening" or "innovation" value, but it also hopes to become the preferred journal for young scholars to express their thoughts and publish their new academic achievements. Academic research emphasizes accumulating knowledge before making breakthroughs. Young scholars who are committed to criminal law theory research should discard impatience and the desire for quick success, work steadily and step by step to make their due contributions to the theoretical research of criminal law; at the same time, the accumulation and overall improvement of criminal law theory are not something that can be achieved in a short time, nor is it always the task of one generation. Objectively, it relies more on the continuity of academia. Young scholars who are committed to criminal law research should maintain a "calm and composed" mindset, think deeply, fill in many research fields that are still blank, and do the work that belongs to the younger generation.