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| Department of Law, Peking University | |
|---|---|
| Name | Department of Law, Peking University |
| Native name | 北京大学法学院 |
| Established | 1904 |
| Type | Public |
| Parent | Peking University |
| City | Beijing |
| Country | China |
Department of Law, Peking University
The Department of Law, Peking University is a leading legal faculty within Peking University located in Beijing, known for its historical role in modern Chinese legal education and influence on People's Republic of China legal reform. It traces intellectual lineages to the late Qing reforms and Republican-era jurists, linking to figures and institutions that shaped legal modernization across China, including connections to Yuan Shikai, Sun Yat-sen, and Republican-era academies. The department engages internationally with institutions such as Harvard Law School, Oxford University, Yale Law School, and participates in comparative projects involving European Court of Human Rights, International Court of Justice, and United Nations legal initiatives.
The faculty emerged from early 20th-century reforms associated with Imperial University of Peking and the abolition of the Imperial Examination system, evolving through periods marked by the May Fourth Movement, the establishment of the Republic of China, and the founding of the People's Republic of China. During the Republican era the department interacted with jurists from Wang Jingwei, Chen Duxiu, and scholars influenced by Max Weber, Hans Kelsen, and John Dewey, while the mid-20th century saw restructuring comparable to reforms in Tsinghua University and Fudan University. Post-1978 reform and opening-up paralleled dialogues with the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and law schools such as Columbia Law School and University of Tokyo, fostering programs in civil law and criminal law study that engaged with legislation like the Contract Law of the People's Republic of China and the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China.
The department is organized into multiple divisions and research units modeled after global law faculties, with institutes reflecting specializations in constitutional law, administrative law, civil law, commercial law, international law, and intellectual property law. Administrative oversight aligns with central structures at Peking University and collaborates with national bodies such as the Ministry of Education (People's Republic of China), the Supreme People's Court and the National People's Congress. Internal governance includes a dean's office, academic committees, graduate schools, and centers analogous to those at Stanford Law School, University of Cambridge Faculty of Law, and New York University School of Law, coordinating degree programs, research funding, and external partnerships with entities like the China Law Society and the All-China Lawyers Association.
The department grants undergraduate, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees, including the LL.B., LL.M., and Ph.D., and has offered specialized courses for candidates preparing for positions in the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Ministry of Justice (People's Republic of China), and international organizations like the International Criminal Court. Joint and exchange programs connect students with University of California, Berkeley School of Law, University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore Faculty of Law, and Sorbonne Law School. Curriculum components reference landmark statutes and codes such as the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China and the Administrative Litigation Law of the People's Republic of China, and training pathways include moot courts modeled on competitions like the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.
Faculty include scholars and practitioners with affiliations or visiting positions at institutions including Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, European Court of Human Rights, and ministries like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (People's Republic of China). Research centers focus on topics such as comparative law, constitutional theory, commercial regulation, and human rights, often collaborating with think tanks like the Brookings Institution, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and regional institutes such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation legal committees. Notable centers and labs host conferences that attract delegations from World Trade Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization, and universities including Peking Union Medical College and Renmin University of China.
Student organizations mirror national and international legal societies, with advocacy and pro bono clinics that work alongside the Beijing High People's Court, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice, and non-governmental legal aid bodies such as China Legal Aid Foundation. Publications include student journals, faculty law reviews, and working paper series; prominent titles historically associated with the faculty recall comparable outlets like the Harvard Law Review and the Yale Law Journal. Competitive extracurriculars include moot court teams participating in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, the Jessup Competition, and collaborative research projects with the China Law Review and international journals.
Alumni have held high office in institutions such as the Supreme People's Court, the National People's Congress, and diplomatic posts in missions to the United Nations, European Union, and bilateral relations with United States, Japan, and United Kingdom. Graduates have influenced major legal instruments and reforms including amendments to the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China, regulatory frameworks for State-owned enterprises, and jurisprudence reflected in landmark decisions from the Supreme People's Court. The department's alumni network includes scholars who have held chairs at Renmin University of China Law School, Tsinghua University School of Law, and visiting professorships at Oxford University and Columbia Law School.
The department is consistently ranked among top Chinese law faculties in national assessments and appears prominently in international subject rankings alongside faculties like Peking University School of Transnational Law and Renmin University of China Law School. Its reputation rests on historical prominence, research output, policy influence, and partnerships with institutions such as Harvard Law School, University of Cambridge Faculty of Law, and the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law.