In today's China, law matters more than it ever has. Twenty-five years of energetic legislating, both by the National People's Congress (NPC) and local congresses, has created new legal rights and institutions; the courts, the bar and legal education have been revived, and a framework for foreign investment has been fashioned. At the same time, the Chinese government has promoted a reform it often calls legalization (fazhihua). This initiative has brought legal institutions and discourses into countless areas of everyday life. Legalization, among other things, has provided the regime with a gloss of legitimacy and has enhanced predictability such that few believe China can once again be torn apart by the whims of a powerful ruler, as it was during the Cultural Revolution. Increased reliance on law has also affected how disputes are resolved. This is not unprecedented in Chinese history, but as market reforms have deepened and social inequality has widened, legal forums -- ranging from mediation and arbitration commissions to courts -- have come to play an increasingly prominent role in politics and society. As an instrument of trade, legitimacy, and social control, there is little doubt that law matters.

Diamant, Neil J., Stanley B. Lubman, and Kevin J. O'Brien. Law and Society in the People's Republic of China. In Engaging the Law in China: State, Society, and Possibilities for Justice, edited by Neil J. Diamant, Stanley B. Lubman, and Kevin J. O'Brien, 3-27. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2005.

Neil Diamant is a professor of Asian Law and Society at Dickinson College.

For more information on the published version, visit Stanford University Press's Website. https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=7407

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