required reading list for first-year students majoring in law in China University

1. Su Li: The Rule of Law and Its Local Resources [How the System Is Formed, Reading Order, Sending the Law to the Countryside ]

[ Introduction] The greatest value of this book lies in the enlightenment of law. It will tell you what kind of vision and methods we should adopt in observing legal phenomena, how to cultivate our learning and research approaches, and how to reveal common sense and challenge existing knowledge and concepts. For freshmen, after reading this book, they will feel that law is not as boring as we thought. The later book "Sending Law to the Countryside" can be said to be the further development and concrete application of the first book, which is more substantial and full, although I still think its book "Local Resources" is the most important.

2. Yu Wujin:

[ introduction] As a popular reader of philosophical knowledge and schools, this book can not only introduce readers into a new philosophical world, but more importantly, it is quite helpful in opening up and broadening students' problem domains, especially in how to form their own problem consciousness. How to ask questions and what kind of questions to ask is the ability that we should always pay attention to during college, which is much more important than specific knowledge in many cases.

3. Fei Xiaotong: The Fertility System in Rural China ["jiang village economy" ]

[ Introduction] Today, it has been sixty or seventy years since Mr. Fei wrote this book, but the analysis of the current situation in China made by Mr. Fei in the book is still so pertinent to China today; Today, we are still far from Mr. Fei's problem consciousness and writing style. Every legal person should reflect: where is the knowledge contribution of law?

4. wu si: Hidden Rules-Real Games in China History

[ Introduction] A perspective of the actual operation of the game rules in China society. Why is there a set of more applicable potential rules outside our formal system? The author projects from the stories in history to today's reality. We can reflect on it: what are the conditions under which law really works in life? What is the relationship between the moral good and evil of law and the actual interest pattern? Are we living on the iceberg of self-deception, or are we rising in bitter introspection?

5. Wang Xiaobo: The Silent Majority [Golden Age ]

[ Introduction] This is a sober book, a rational book, a humorous book and a wise book. It not only gives us insight into life and society, but also tells us what is the spirit of independent thinking and judgment. What is real humanistic care? As legal persons, perhaps the greatest enlightenment this book gives us is that there is no life law without caring for the silent majority and lacking some kind of "spiritual home" law. But you must remember that Wang Xiaobo's novels, especially The Golden Age, are more memorable to read.

6. Andersen: Complete Works of Andersen's Fairy Tales

[ Introduction] What we lack is a fairy tale world written by Andersen, which is a real world with happiness and suffering, laughter and tears. People who study law are most afraid of losing a childlike innocence. For those who haven't read Andersen's story, I want to tell you: Come into this world, it's not too late, it will make you more sound.

7. Boehlmann:

Law and Religion is well written and well translated. Explore the spirit behind the law, what supports the law. Without faith, the law will be useless. While the existing legal tradition in China has been broken, how should we find a new tradition of living under the law? Of course, when reading this book, don't unilaterally pursue the wonderful sentences, but pay more attention to the analytical ideas and clues.

8. Feng Xiang: Justice with Wooden Legs

[ Introduction] I believe this book should be an excellent enlightening case for colleagues who specialize in law. With the advantages of his own literary subject, the author swims between law and society. Stripping legal cases layer by layer is far-reaching and broad-minded, which is a good book worth reading.

9. Liang Zhiping: Debate on Law [Letters from the New Persians, Between the Study and Society ]

[ Introduction] This book mainly collects a series of articles published by Mr. Liang in Reading magazine in the middle and late 1981s, which is his case practice and speech of "explaining the law with culture and explaining the culture with law". Debate, criticism and rational thinking are integrated. For young students, reading this book can also learn some "subtle" methods of how to read and how to organize their own experiences. The book "New" is also a critical work written by early and several other authors. The book Study is the author's cultural essay, which is written easily and casually, and it is also more skillful.

11. Huang Renyu: Fifteen Years of Wanli [Capitalism and the 21st Century ]

[ Introduction] The author's profound knowledge of history, familiarity with Chinese political system and thorough analysis all show the perfect combination of "historical facts" and "historical knowledge". The writing is old and spicy, and it is done in one go. His exposition of the relationship between politics and morality and the operation of rules and living conditions has great enlightenment for us to understand tradition and law. This book must be read.

11. Max Weber: The author's views on the relationship among academics, politics and even life can really clarify a lot of our understanding. We live in an era of lack of piety and faith, which affects our understanding of ourselves. We don't know what the occupation is except making a living. This book can tell us some answers.

12. Ying Xing:

[ introduction] A sociological work written by "storytelling". Facing the power operation of the "immigrant" China family and people, we can reveal the strategies and games of political control, and pay attention to the living conditions of civilians. No matter from the research methods, the pioneering and innovation of research problems, this book is a great drink and a wake-up call for complacent jurists.

13. Wallerstein et al.: Open Social Science

[ Introduction] For every learner engaged in social science (including law), he has a more conscious (though not necessarily sober) grasp of the nature and trend of social science itself. This book is extremely challenging in this respect. It studies the construction of social science as a form of knowledge; Questioning the division of labor in social sciences; What is the academic position of engaging in social science? This book is just 71,111 words, and it is a thin booklet, but it is much more valuable and thoughtful than those works with hundreds of thousands and millions of words.

14. He Weifang ed. The Road to Legal Education in China

[ Introduction] People who study law should have a basic understanding of the history, present situation and development of legal education. This book provides such a way to understand. It's better to reflect on the current situation of vocational education and the social contrast. The first thing we should do is to have a calm understanding of the operation of this legal education ecosystem. One of the characteristics of this book is that it provides us with such a perspective.

15. Main: Ancient Law [savigny: On the Contemporary Mission of Legislation and Law ]

[ Introduction] The representative works of historical law school. Its significance lies not only in sketching out the context of legal development through its own research, but also in putting forward the inspiring proposition of the movement of law from identity to contract. What's more, his spirit of independence and doubt in academic research criticizes the popular discourse of "natural equality". As Maine said, what we need most may be a constant review of old and new materials, not a blind letter. The latter book is also a representative work of the school of historical law.

16. Plato:

[ introduction] This book is three famous dialogues between Socrates' trial and punishment. It shows how Socrates was sentenced and his attitude towards God, knowledge, ethics, law and death. Readers will not only be shocked by his personality, but also think further about the important political and life problems of how Socrates died. Teaching you wisdom in dialogue and cross-examination is another important benefit of this book.

required reading list for sophomores majoring in law in China University

17. Kafka: Selected Short Stories by Kafka

The depth of Kafka's thought and the penetrating power of his language are believed to make every reader feel cold. For a great writer, any descriptive words are superfluous. Kafka made us realize that we are losing those people's precious things, and what kind of life we will face after losing them. Kafka's classic writings on law are important doors to our understanding of law and modernity, law and human nature.

18. Liu Xing: What is Law [A Preliminary Study of China Law, Law and Law in Context ]

[ Introduction] This book is mainly a critical interpretation of British and American legal theories in the 21th century, which is different from the introductory reading written by ordinary Chinese. The book makes an in-depth and detailed analysis of the theories that it considers important. The language is plain and the examples are concise. On this basis, the author intends to express his own perspective on the law: our views on the law are often determined by our posture.

19. Zhang Wenxian: A Study on the Category of Philosophy of Law

[ Introduction] This book is cautious in analyzing some categories of law itself, and it is a representative work of standardization and systematization of China's law. Many concepts and "right-obligation" mode put forward and analyzed by him have a profound influence on the current jurisprudence textbooks. As far as the academic standard is concerned, although this book has some politicized brand and some constructive color, on the whole, it is still an excellent work for criticism of China law.

21. Liu Junning: "* * and Democracy Constitutionalism"

[ introduction] A China-based "radical" work of "conservatism" freedom view. The author's position is self-evident, and its distinctive and even "encouraging" language will inevitably weaken its academic flavor to some extent. Liberalism is actually a sensitive issue in China. For students who don't understand liberalism, it's really difficult to grasp and distinguish the various ideological trends of "freedom". This book provides a positive approach, and we should also have a more comprehensive and calm thinking.

21. Cardoso: The Nature of Judicial Process

[ Introduction] He is an excellent judge and a scholar with profound insight. His ideas are neat and concise. He told us how he judged the case. The judge should not only "discover the law" but also "create the law". He combines innovation with limitation. His enthusiasm and reason highlight the sublimity of the legal profession in these people. As a scholar and judge, Cardoso's wisdom and restraint earned him due respect.

22. Order, Justice and Authority in Rural Society, edited by Wang Mingming and Wang Sifu

[ Introduction] This book gathers the research of some scholars in law and sociology. Scholars' judgment and description of China's rural society, as well as their grasp and explanation of its order, have left many thought-provoking questions for future research. As far as law is concerned, the research orientation of this book is a good attempt. Unfortunately, there is no follow-up research now, which is not enough to create a real academic momentum. This is a good book, and it is also a book for us to reflect on how China's academic tradition was built.

23. Montesquieu: On the Spirit of Law

[ Introduction] uses a variety of research methods: historical, comparative and empirical. Explore the nature and spirit of law, with broad vision and elegant bearing. It is also a representative work in the enlightenment period, expounding the concept of natural rights and the separation of powers. Although the author's "classification and framework" has some cracks with the method of social investigation he advocated, it is just the symbol of excellent works-it has established a "paradigm" for successors to surpass.

24. Tocqueville: On American Democracy

[ Introduction] There are many similarities in temperament between this book and the previous one. The author's analysis of American society and insight into democracy fully show his brilliant talents. The author's understanding of freedom deserves our long-term reflection. The exposition of American legal profession and legal belief is still valuable ideological wealth for our legal construction today.

25. Liang Zhiping: Seeking Harmony in the Natural Order —— A Study of China's Traditional Legal Culture [Customary Law in Qing Dynasty —— Society and State ]

[ Introduction] The works with "paradigm" significance in the study of China's legal history. It has opened up a new research field, and more importantly, it is conscious of the use of methods. It is a description of facts, and it is also a cultural sympathy and argument. What matters is not the author's use of various historical materials, but his interpretation of these historical materials. What matters is not whether he solves the problem or not, but the way he raises the problem itself.

26. Qu Tongzu: China Law and China Society

[ Introduction] Like the previous book, it is also a classic in the study of legal history. The author of this book has profound skill and plain language. From the perspective of sociology. Of course, there are many methods of sociology itself, and this book may still belong to the approach of "normative sociology" Moreover, from the perspective of legal analysis of China society, this academic orientation itself is respectable.

27. Hart: The Concept of Law

[ Introduction] The representative works of analytical law. The author has a special sensitivity to the relationship between language and law, and puts forward and discusses a series of important concepts of contemporary jurisprudence, which has a far-reaching impact on western jurisprudence in the twentieth century and even in the future. There are some problems in the translation of this book, but it is readable as a whole. As a person who mainly studies Hart, I suggest that everyone pay more attention to this book and Hart's other works.

28. Austin: The Scope of Jurisprudence [kelsen: General Theory of Law and State ]

[ Introduction] is a classic document of analytical law. Influenced by positivism, Austin adhered to the separation of "ought-to-be law" and "actual law" and tried to regard law as a real science. Put forward the legal model of sovereignty, order and sanction. We should re-understand analytical law. Today, the original intention of analytical jurisprudence (legal independence) seems to have been greatly distorted (legal ideology). The latter book is also a masterpiece of analytical law, but it is quite different from Hart's and Austin's in temperament. Remember: the differences among analytical scholars may be greater than those between analytical law and other schools. Therefore, when reading a book, it is important to look at its problems, not the "label".

29. Dworkin: Take Rights Seriously [Empire of Law, Law of Freedom ]

[ Introduction] The author's early representative works and famous works. This book systematically expounds the author's view of rights. It is an important work on the study of rights today. The author's analysis of rules, principles and policies in the book has great enlightenment for us to deepen our understanding of the law. How do we care about and respect human rights? This is always a thought-provoking question.

31. ellman: Comparative Legal Culture

[ Introduction] In comparative law, this is a concise and distinctive book.