Attendees at the forum pose for photograph. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

A two-day forum on China’s legal history took place at Yunnan University (YNU), on Aug 15.

With the support of YNU and the Institute of Law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the forum was hosted by the Department of Legal History affiliated with the Institute of Law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Research Center of West Yunnan Development at YNU, and the university’s School of Law.

More than 50 scholars and legal practitioners from 20 universities and institutions, including Renmin University of China, Beijing Normal University, Jilin University, Nanjing University, Sichuan University, Xiamen University, the Palace Museum, and representatives from various periodicals attended the forum. 

The forum was divided into four sessions: an opening ceremony, keynote speech, round-table discussion on opportunities and challenges for the study and research of legal history in China, and a presentation of papers. 

The opening ceremony was held on the morning of Aug 16, and was chaired by Zhao Xiaogeng, executive president of the China Institute of Legal History. 

Yang Zeyu, vice-president of YNU, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony, in which he extended a warm welcome to the assembled scholars and experts. 

He said that YNU had always been committed to the development of the discipline of legal history, before going on to outline the history of YNU and its School of Law.

During the keynote speech session, three representatives presented their latest findings on  current issues related to the study of legal history. Professor Zhou Dongping argued that Buddhism had had a significant impact on the development of China’s legal system; Professor Liu Xiaolin shared his expertise on the legal system in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and Professor Xia Xinhua reported his findings on the development of law and politics as academic disciplines in Hunan province. 

During the round-table meeting, several professors held discussions on the opportunities and challenges related to developing the discipline of legal history. 

A total of 23 papers were submitted to the forum, and 18 of them were presented during the event. All of the papers were subsequently put into a compilation.