The 70 Years of Legal Education in China from 1949 to 2023: Historical Development, Current Issues and Future Innovations
| Published date | 01 July 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/23220058241257851 |
| Author | Yuxia Song,Haotian Fan |
| Date | 01 July 2024 |
The 70 Years of Legal Education in
China from 1949 to 2023: Historical
Development, Current Issues and
Future Innovations
Yuxia Song1,2,3,4 and Haotian Fan1,2,3
Abstract
China’s modern legal education system, characterized by its development over more than seven decades
since the founding of New China, has undergone distinct stages including the initial period, stagnation and
frustration, restoration and development, comprehensive development, and innovation and development.
Based on both empirical and case studies, this article identifies issues in China’s modern legal education
system such as the imbalanced distribution of educational resources, inadequacy in theoretical and practical
teaching methods, as well as insufficient training for foreign-related legal talents. To address these challenges
effectively, this article proposes innovative approaches, including deepening collaboration between academia
and industry to narrow regional disparities in education provision; enhancing scenario-based applications of
artificial intelligence (AI), the metaverse and other emergent technologies within the field of legal education;
as well as aligning the goal of cultivating legal talents with global trends through comprehensive reform
strategies. This article aims to offer a novel pathway for Chinese legal education to embrace globalization,
while at the same time presenting a new paradigm for international scholars studying Chinese legal education.
Introduction
As is widely acknowledged, the objective of legal education is not only to foster legal professionals equipped
advancement of national and global societal development. Throughout history, legal education has been a
crucial driving force behind the development and advancement of jurisprudence worldwide. In light of China’s
unrivalled transformation from a vulnerable nation plagued by foreign aggression to the world’s second-
largest economy,5 its progress in legal education has played an instrumental role in propelling its rapid rise.
1 Law School, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
2 Center for Corporate Legal Risk Prevention and Control, Southwest Petroleum University Chengdu, Chengdu, Sichuan
Province, China.
3 Sichuan Energy Law Research Center, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
4 Enterprise Bankruptcy Law Research Center of Renmin University of China, Beijing, China.
5 In 2010, China’s GDP totalled $5.8786 trillion, surpassing Japan to become the world’s second largest economy. In 2023, China
still maintains its position as the world’s second largest economy.
Article
Asian Journal of Legal Education
11(2) 201–218, 2024
© 2024 The West Bengal National
University of Juridical Sciences
Article reuse guidelines:
in.sagepub.com/journals-permissions-india
DOI: 10.1177/23220058241257851
journals.sagepub.com/home/ale
Corresponding author:
Haotian Fan, Law School, Southwest Petroleum University, 8 Xindu Avenue, Xindu District, Chengdu 610500,
China.
E-mail: haotian0811520@163.com
202 Asian Journal of Legal Education 11(2)
Moreover, China has actively explored and made contributions to the advancement of legal education
worldwide. ‘The Tang Law’,6 a legal code established during the Tang Dynasty in China, exerted a profound
and other contemporary countries referred to the Tang Law as a basis for formulating their own legal codes.7
With China’s reform and opening up, after over 70 years of cultivation and development in the country, and
In recent years, China’s economy has experienced rapid growth while social demands have undergone
significant transformations. In response to these changes, the Chinese government has issued a series of
documents aimed at optimizing the current education system and aligning it with contemporary needs.
On 26 February 2023, the General Office of the Central Committee of the CPC (Communist Party of
accompanied by a notice urging all regions and departments to diligently implement them based on their
specific circumstances.8 The ‘Opinions’ represent a significant milestone in the history of legal education
in China as it is the first central document to specifically focus on its development and study of legal
theories. Its issuance marks the beginning of a new era for modern legal education in China, making it
an important exploration within the context of globalization and informationization. This article is
divided into three parts, excluding the introduction and conclusion. In its first part, it reviews over
70 years of China’s legal education development. In its second part, it identifies issues faced by Chinese
legal education through empirical and case studies. In its third part, it proposes reform ideas for
educational resource allocation, theoretical and practical teaching methods, as well as foreign-related
legal talent cultivation based on comparisons between domestic and international teaching models
combined with innovative global educational technologies under the guidance provided by the ‘Opinions’.
This study not only offers a fresh perspective for China’s legal education to embrace globalization but
also presents a novel framework that can contribute to international research on Chinese legal education.
Tracing the Historical Trajectory: The Evolution of Legal Education in
China over the Past Seven Decades
–221 ).9
6 Tang dynasty law is generally known as the Tang Law, which is the model of traditional Chinese legal code and the symbol of the
formation of the Chinese legal system, the main reasons: (a) The spirit of ritual ethics and state penalties organically combined.
(b) The Tang Laws consisted of 12 chapters and 502 articles, which were appropriately broad and simple, with a high degree of
generalization. (c) The legislative technology is perfect, with a rigorous structure, generalized terminology, norms and so on, and
further clarified the principles and concepts of public and private crimes, foreigners and crimes. The principles and concepts of
public crimes, private crimes and crimes committed by foreigners are further clarified.
7
modelled after the ‘Tang Law’.
8
Opinions on Strengthening Legal Education and Legal Theoretical Research in the New Era
9
each other and fought wars constantly, resulting in various reforms and constant connections between reforms, while the countries
Get this document and AI-powered insights with a free trial of vLex and Vincent AI
Get Started for FreeUnlock full access with a free 7-day trial
Transform your legal research with vLex
-
Complete access to the largest collection of common law case law on one platform
-
Generate AI case summaries that instantly highlight key legal issues
-
Advanced search capabilities with precise filtering and sorting options
-
Comprehensive legal content with documents across 100+ jurisdictions
-
Trusted by 2 million professionals including top global firms
-
Access AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI: Natural language queries with verified citations
Unlock full access with a free 7-day trial
Transform your legal research with vLex
-
Complete access to the largest collection of common law case law on one platform
-
Generate AI case summaries that instantly highlight key legal issues
-
Advanced search capabilities with precise filtering and sorting options
-
Comprehensive legal content with documents across 100+ jurisdictions
-
Trusted by 2 million professionals including top global firms
-
Access AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI: Natural language queries with verified citations
Unlock full access with a free 7-day trial
Transform your legal research with vLex
-
Complete access to the largest collection of common law case law on one platform
-
Generate AI case summaries that instantly highlight key legal issues
-
Advanced search capabilities with precise filtering and sorting options
-
Comprehensive legal content with documents across 100+ jurisdictions
-
Trusted by 2 million professionals including top global firms
-
Access AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI: Natural language queries with verified citations
Unlock full access with a free 7-day trial
Transform your legal research with vLex
-
Complete access to the largest collection of common law case law on one platform
-
Generate AI case summaries that instantly highlight key legal issues
-
Advanced search capabilities with precise filtering and sorting options
-
Comprehensive legal content with documents across 100+ jurisdictions
-
Trusted by 2 million professionals including top global firms
-
Access AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI: Natural language queries with verified citations
Unlock full access with a free 7-day trial
Transform your legal research with vLex
-
Complete access to the largest collection of common law case law on one platform
-
Generate AI case summaries that instantly highlight key legal issues
-
Advanced search capabilities with precise filtering and sorting options
-
Comprehensive legal content with documents across 100+ jurisdictions
-
Trusted by 2 million professionals including top global firms
-
Access AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI: Natural language queries with verified citations