Classic Chinese Legal Code: The Tiansheng New and Old Laws and Ordinances

Author: Shi Jinbo et al
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Features: The Tian Sheng Gai Jiu Xin Ding Li Ling is a legal code promulgated during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Western Xia in the Tian Sheng era, abbreviated as Tian Sheng Li Ling. The original text is in Western Xia script. Tian Sheng Li Ling is the first legal code in Chinese history printed in a minority ethnic script, comprising twenty volumes, 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 entirely of legal provisions. Its content includes criminal law, procedural law, administrative law, civil law, economic law, and military law, comprehensively reflecting all aspects of Western Xia society. It provides a wealth of materials for studying Western Xia's legal, political, economic, military, and cultural systems, and holds significant importance for research on the history of Chinese legal systems. The earliest recorded publication of Tian Sheng Li Ling appeared in the fourth issue of the National Beiping Library Journal (1932), with the title translated as "Tian Sheng Gai Jiu Xin Ding Fan Lie," "Tian Sheng Nian Bian Geng Ding Jiao Jiao," or "Tian Sheng Nian Bian Xin Min Zhi Xue."