Draft Treatise on the History of Chinese Law

Author: Rao Xinxian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-10-01
Features: The book is divided into five parts: The first part discusses some fundamental issues of this discipline, including guiding principles, research objects, scope, system construction, developmental stages, critical inheritance, research methods, and an overview of historical development, etc. The second part explores the influence of various schools of thought on the development of this discipline. In addition to selected discussions on Confucianism and Huang-Lao thought, it also includes several papers on feudal orthodox legal thought, as well as legal thought from the early Tang Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. The Tang and Ming papers primarily focus on Confucianism and Huang-Lao thought, while the Ming paper also touches on the influence of Neo-Confucianism from the Song and Ming dynasties on law. The third part provides an introduction to the legal thought of key figures from feudal dynasties, primarily the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, with a larger portion dedicated to a broader range of topics. The rationale for this selection will be elaborated in the following text. The fourth part consists of miscellaneous works, mostly prefaces or book reviews. The content generally does not address major issues but rather expresses my satisfaction with the current state of legal history research and its development, as well as my admiration for some fellow scholars. The fifth part includes only one paper, which reflects my general perspective on the study of the history of Chinese legal thought in this century and my speculations on its future direction.