The origin of the current law of the People's Republic of China can be traced back to the period of the early 1930s, during the establishment of the Chinese Soviet Republic. In 1931 the first supreme court was established. Though the contemporary legal system and laws have no direct links to traditional Chinese law, their impact and influence of historical norms still exist. In the period between 1980 and 1987, important progress was made in replacing the rule of men with the rule of law. Laws originally passed in 1979 and earlier were amended and augmented, and law institutes and university law departments that had been closed during the Cultural Revolution were opened to train lawyers and court personnel. It was only a beginning, but important steps had been taken in developing a viable legal system and making the government and the courts answerable to an invisible standard. (en)
中國法制史是指中国法律及相关制度发展的历史，是法制史研究的一个分支。中國古代法律名目繁多，如西晋有《》，南北朝有《》，隋朝的《開皇律》、《》，唐初有《》，宋代頒行《》等，各朝重視的法律形式亦不相同。 中国法律思想史（legal thoughts in Chinese history）是关于中国的法律思想史。法律离不开政治，因而中国法律思想史同以国家政权为核心的中国政治思想史的联系尤为密切。 (zh)