Law Topics

Chinese Law texts are shelved at 349.51

Subject terms to search in the catalogue include: China; Chinese -- Law; Chinese law; Contract; PRC; Reform; Legal Principles - China.

Key texts in this area include:

• Chen, Albert, An Introduction to the Legal System of the People’s Republic of China (LexisNexis, 4^th ed., 2011)
• Chen, Jianfu, Chinese Law: Context and Transformation (Leiden Boston: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2008)
• Peerenboom, Randall, China’s Long March toward Rule of Law (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002).

Commentary on Chinese law can be found at:

• Westlaw China
• Thomson Reuters Westlaw

Journals and indexes relating to Chinese law can be found at:

• Westlaw China
• Thomson Reuters Westlaw

中华人民共和国全国人民代表大会

• Includes:
  • certain laws passed in the NPC and NPC Standing Committee
  • administrative regulations made by State Council
  • departmental administrative regulations
  • announcement of appointments to public office
  • certain international treaties, agreements, communicates and other diplomatic documents

中华人民共和国国务院公报 (1980– )

• official Gazette of the State Council
• Published tri-monthly
• Includes:
  • certain laws passed in the NPC and NPC Standing Committee
  • administrative regulations made by State Council
  • departmental administrative regulations
  • announcement of appointments to public office
  • certain international treaties, agreements, communicates and other diplomatic documents

中华人民共和国国家公报索引

• People's Republic of China National Gazette

Westlaw China and Thomson Reuters Westlaw

• Full text of PRC legislation in Chinese is available Westlaw China and Thomson Reuters Westlaw

Ministry of Justice of the PRC web site 中国普法网

To find the English version of a PRC law or regulation is sometimes quite a challenging task. You may need to go through several sources.

• Printed materials
• Electronic resources

Printed materials

You can find the English version of the major PRC laws and regulations in the following publications. They are updated on a regular basis.

• Laws of the People’s Republic of China
  • The Laws of the People’s Republic of China is compiled by the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the PRC
  • Published annually; usually about a couple of years behind the current date.
  • It is an English translation of 中华人民共和国法规汇编
  • As this publication arranges the legislation in chronological order, you can find a document only if the promulgation year is known.

Electronic resources

• Westlaw China
• Thomson Reuters Westlaw
• pkulaw (previously known as LawInfoChina)
  • English translation of selected documents.

English Resources:

Very limited Chinese court cases have been translated into English. They are available from:

• pkulaw (previously known as LawInfoChina)

Chinese Resources:

The Chinese cases in Chinese can be found in the following printed and electronic sources:

• 中国法院网

Judicial interpretations can be found electronically at:

• pkulaw (in English) (previously known as LawInfoChina)
• Westlaw China
• Thomson Reuters Westlaw