Brief Instruction on Legal History Research of China University of Political Science and Law, Key Research Institute of the Humanities and Social Science of Ministry of Education of PRC

Legal History Research Center of China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) .the former Chinese Legal History Institute, established by Prof. Zhang Jinfan, is attached to the Key Research Institute of the Humanities and Social Science of Ministry of Education of PRC ,which is the highest-level institution on the mainland currently, representing and guiding the national studies on legal history. In 1988, the subject of Chinese legal history of CUPL was evaluated by Education Committee of PRC (which is the former institute of Ministry of Education of PRC ) as the first national key subject. In 2000, it was regarded again as the national key subject.

In October,2002, Legal History Research Center of CUPL was established on the foundation of the Institute of Chinese Legal History and it was selected formally as Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Science of Ministry of Education of PRC . Prof. Zhang Jinfan is the honorary director of the Center , the director of the Center is Prof. Zhu Yong, professor Zhang Zhongqiu works as the vice director of the Center , and the other associated director is Prof. Lin Qian.

Staff and the Institutions of the Center:

About staff: 23 researchers in total, in which there are 10 full-time researchers, 7 of whom are professors, including 4 doctorate advisors, and the other three scholars are associate professors. 8 researchers among have acquired the doctor's degree. In addition, 2 secretaries work for the center. The academic committee of the Center is formed by domestic and foreign well-known scholars, and Prof. Zhang Jinfan serves as the chairman of the committee.

About the institutions: The Center has 3 research institutes for Chinese legal history, comparative legal history and history of legal cultures. Besides, there are an office, a reference room, a network room, and an information-exchange department.

Achievements :

Since 1985, with the leadership of Prof. Zhang, the Center has achieved some dozens of national and ministerial humanities and social sciences research programs, and have published a large number of valuable and influential research results, such as General History of Chinese Legal System (ten volumes), Chinese Legal Tradition and Its Modern Transfer, The Evolution of Chinese legal civilization, Family Law and Clan Regulations of Qing( 清代家族法研究 ), Comparative Research Between Chinese and Western Legal Cultures （中西法律文化比较研究） , etc. More than 20 results won the prize. There are 18 kinds of humanities and social sciences research programs has been presiding by the Center now, awarding more than 3 million RMB grant from the National Endowments. The Canon of China—Law Code ( 中华大典 法律典 ) and The Legal History of Qing—L ü Records （清史法 律志） are national key programs. Besides, there are ministerial key programs, such as General legal History of Chinese Minorit ies ( 中国少数民族法制通史 ) , Research on Judicial Reform in Modern China （中国近现代司法改革研究） , Comparative Research on Legal Cultures between China and the West （中西法律文化比较研究） ,etc. The Center has published over 100 works, more than 30 textbooks and 10 reference books. There are more than 600 professional papers has been published, among which over 20 has been published aboard.

The Center has already developed its distinctive special features during the past two decades: emphasizing on the integration of the history and the reality; focusing on the unity of the research of legal history and the coordination of historical literatures and materials, concentrating on the connection of the domestic study and international communication, and continuously expanding new fields and proving resources of excellent research results for the modern construction of legal system and the communication of legal culture. The center has shouldered the education of postdoctoral, doctoral (foreign students included), master, and bachelor candidates. More than 100 candidates have already acquired their doctoral degree (2 foreign students included), and hundreds of students have already gained their master's degree till now, among whom some have grown up as the elite of academic field, and some have held important posts in the central governmental departments.

The Center has been taken the academic study as its essential duty all the time. It holds various academic activities frequently, including high-level international/national academic conference annually. The center now has three series of publication, namely, Academic Annual , Papers and Presentations for PHD and Academic Libraries . It has been also communicating and cooperating with many domestic and overseas academic institutes. With the wisdom and efforts of domestic and overseas scholars, Legal History Research Center of CUPL will continue to bring its advantages into full play, making great efforts to bring the Center into a top-ranking academic research base of legal history.