This book explains the urgent necessity to compile a Civil Code and calls for constitutional awareness in compiling that Civil Code, highlighting the need for it to be done in a democratic and scientific manner. It advocates “Pragmatic Methods” as a new approach to compiling a Civil Code of China and shares the author’s thoughts on the constitutionality of compiling a Civil Code, explains the object that is to be judged in terms of its constitutionality, and the constitutionality of legal interpretation, of legislative procedures and of legal application. The book also illustrates the author’s “mode of the codifying of non-basic laws” for compiling a Civil Code, and includes a detailed discussion on compiling a Civil Code to reveal how many valid laws there are China – a matter that is of vital importance to the compilation of the Civil Code.The Appendix includes statistics on the number of civil cases classified according to causes of actions, based on “Judicial Opinions of China” website, which is the first step of the author’s plan to investigate civil customs reflected in judgment documents with the help of big-data analytical methods.

Currently, China is drafting its new Civil Code. Against this background, the Chinese legal community has shown a growing interest in various legal and legislative ideas from around the world. Within this context, the present book aims at providing the necessary historical and comparative legal perspectives. It concentrates on substantive private law and civil procedure, both in China and in other jurisdictions. These perspectives are of considerable importance for the present codification work. Additionally, the book is dedicated to commemorating the centennial of the first Western-influenced and civil law-oriented Civil Code of China, the Da Qing Min Lü Cao An of 1911. The following topics are addressed: property law, contract law, tort law and civil procedure. The book also contains contributions on codification experiences in Europe and on the concept of codification in general. The topics are discussed by leading Chinese and international scholars. Most of the Chinese contributors have taken part in preparing the Chinese Draft Civil Code. The book is the outcome of a conference organized by the Centre for Chinese and Comparative Law (RCCL), School of Law, City University of Hong Kong, in October 2010.