Introduction


C lutlia Uni enity

NEW YORK, N.Y. 10027

SCHOOL OF LAW

DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF LAW

March 1987

It is with great pride and pleasure that I welcome the appearance
of the inaugural issue of the Journal of Chinese Law.

China's present legal system and its historical antecedents well
deserve thoughtful and sustained attention from foreign lawyers and
legal scholars. As China has become increasingly active in world
political affairs in recent years, Chinese law has taken on practical as
well as academic significance for the foreign legal community. As the
importance of Chinese law has increased, so has its volume and com-
plexity. Numerous new codes, laws and procedures have created a
rather sudden and substantial need for better communication between
foreign and Chinese legal minds.

The Journal of Chinese Law represents a major positive step to-
ward satisfying the need for more comprehensive information about
Chinese legal development. Long a leader in promoting Chinese legal
education exchange, Columbia's Center for Chinese Legal Studies
now has a vehicle - the Journal of Chinese Law - dedicated to the
promotion of a continuing cooperative dialogue between Chinese and
American legal scholars, directed at illustrating and examining im-
portant aspects of PRC law and its historical sources. The number of
professors at Columbia Law School interested in foreign and compar-
ative law, and the large student body knowledgeable about Chinese
culture, language and law constitute a unique critical mass capable of
accomplishing this worthy aim. The Journal of Chinese Law repre-
sents an important addition to Columbia Law School's leading posi-
tion in East Asian legal studies.

I extend hearty wishes for success to the editors and faculty who
have generated the Journal of Chinese Law in their continuing efforts
in what is clearly an outstanding publication.

Barbara Aronstein Black
Dean of the Faculty of Law