The Timeless Legal Code of China - The New Law of Reforms and Innovations of the Tiansheng Era

Author: Shi Jinbo et al. Translated and Annotated
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-01-01
Features: The Tiansheng Gaiji Xin Ding Ling is a legal code promulgated during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Western Xia dynasty, commonly known as the Tiansheng Code. The original text is in Western Xia script. The Tiansheng Code is the first legal code in Chinese history to be printed in a minority ethnic script. It comprises twenty volumes, divided into one hundred and fifty sections and one thousand, four hundred and sixty-one articles, with a level of detail unmatched by any existing medieval legal codes. The code contains over two hundred thousand words, with no annotations or case studies, consisting solely of legal provisions. Its content covers criminal law, procedural law, administrative law, civil law, economic law, and military law, comprehensively reflecting various aspects of Western Xia society. It provides a wealth of material for researching Western Xia's legal, political, economic, military, and cultural history, holding significant importance for the study of Chinese legal history. The earliest recorded publication of the Tiansheng Code appeared in the fourth issue of the Journal of the National Beiping Library (1932), with the title translated as "Tiansheng Gailiang Xinding Falü" (Tiansheng Code for Improvement and New Establishment of Laws), or alternatively "Tiansheng Nian Bian Ding Jie Jiao" or "Tiansheng Nian Bian Xin Min Zhi Xue."