Rhizomatic Law and China’s Experience
Between Past and Future
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14195/2184-9781_5_6Keywords:
China, legal system, Confucianism, Rhizomatic law, filial piety, guanxiAbstract
The People’s Republic of China was founded on 1 October 1949. After the Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping decided to launch a new series of reforms, widely known as the China’s “opening up” policy (gaige kaifang改革开放). With this new idea, China had to develop the entire legal system from scratch. All the changes were introduced for the sake of building a market economy and boosting the country’s economic growth. It is worth noting that the legal system of this country is highly influenced by philosophy, social context and political views. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explain the past experience in building China’s legal system and its future changes based on the concept of “rhizome”. Therefore, this study pays attention to some philosophical and social issues, including Confucian philosophy, which still play a crucial role in shaping Chinese reality and law. This analysis leads to the conclusion that the Chinese legal system is a good example of “rhizomatic law”. In the case of the PRC, this idea should be perceived through the lens of the complexity and dynamism of the legal framework. The Chinese legal landscape is built on the interplay between formal laws, informal norms and cultural traditions.
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