BOOK: Zhaoyang ZHANG, A History of Civil Law in Early China: Cases, Statutes, Concepts and Beyond [Legal History Library, eds. C.H. (Remco) VAN RHEE, Dirk HEIRBAUT & Mathew C. MIROW; 60] (Leiden/Boston: Martinus Nijhoff/Brill, 2022), ISBN 9789004513907, € 118

 

(image source: Brill)

On the book:

How did people solve their disputes over debt, compensation, inheritance and other civil matters in early China? Did they go to court? How did the authorities view those problems? Using recently excavated early Chinese legal materials, Zhang Zhaoyang makes the compelling argument that civil law was not only developed, but also acquired a certain degree of sophistication during the Qin and Han dynasties. The state promulgated detailed regulations to deal with economic and personal relationships between individuals. The authorities formed an integral part of the formal justice system, and heard civil cases on a regular basis.

On the author:

Zhaoyang Zhang, Ph.D. (2010), University of California at Berkeley, is Professor of History at the School of Humanities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He has published monographs and many articles on China, including Zhongguo zaoqi minfa de jiangou (Zhongguo zhengfa daxue, 2014).

Read more on Brill's website.