Outline of the Qing Law
Abstract
This paper attempts to sketch an outline of the Chinese law during the Qing, the last dynasty to rule over China. It also depicts the moral and philosophical basis on which the traditional Chinese legal system had been built long time before the Machu Emperors came to power. The paper also postulates that that it is culture rather than nature that determines law and morality, and the idea of universal ethics is but a utopia. There are some stark differences between western law and its Chinese counterpart. Some provisions of the Qing Code can be surprising for us today, although they become easy to comprehend, when looked at more closely. From the Chinese perspective, the western law can be called “modern” for it has been adopted by modern China since the early 20th century. The paper proposes an answer as to why China had to forsake its legal tradition and adopt the western continental law in its stead.
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