The internet holds a vast amount of information about the People’s Republic of China. Learn more by exploring these external links.
GENERAL
CIA – The World Factbook – China
People’s Daily Online- Fast Facts
Library of Congress Federal Research Division Country Profile: China, August 2006
LEGAL
Chinese Constitution, Criminal Procedure Law, Civil Procedure Law, and others translated into English
Sponsored by the Supreme People’s Court of the PRC
Several Legal Documents Translated into English
World Factbook of Criminal Justice System
China Country report prepared for the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in the U.S. Department of Justice.
New York Times Series “Rule by Law” (2005-07)
Articles in this series examine the struggle in China over the creation of a modern legal system.
Human Rights Watch “A Great Danger for Lawyers” (2006)
The Chinese party-state has repeatedly stressed the need to develop the legal profession as part of its stated commitment to rule of law. But in March 2006 the authorities introduced new regulatory curbs on lawyers representing protesters and plaintiffs bringing collective lawsuits.
Sichuan University College of Law Web site
Featured in Wide Angle’s “The People’s Court”, this law school offers PhD degrees in Procedure Law, master programs in Criminal Law, Civil and Commercial Law, Demology, and Jurisprudence.
ECONOMIC BOOM
Economist “China’s Next Revolution” (2007)
Article arguing that China’s new property law is a breakthrough, even though it raises hopes that one-party rule may dash.
Economist “Lost in Translation” (2007)
According to this Economist article, if China sharply revalued its currency, the yuan, as some American politicians are demanding, it could actually hurt the United States and help China.
US – CHINA RELATIONS
Foreign Affairs “Don’t Break the Engagement” (May/June 2004) By Elizabeth Economy
Summary: Economic growth in China has spurred political liberalization, legal reform, opening of the media, and popular activism. The Bush administration — and those who aspire to replace it — should not jeopardize sound policy.
Council on Foreign Relations “Timeline: U.S. Relations with China (1949 to present)”
Relations between the two countries have wavered between tense standoffs and attempts to bridge strategic and ideological differences. Timeline offers a visual account of U.S. relations with Communist China from 1949 to the present.
CNN “Visions of China: 50 Years of the People’s Republic”
This CNN In-Depth Special explores China’s intricate history, geography, and culture through interactive features, maps and galleries.
ORGANIZATIONS
Human Rights in China “State Secrets: China’s Legal Labyrinth” (2007)
By sweeping a broad range of information under the umbrella of “state secrets”, the human rights organization Human Rights in China, argues that the system withholds the very information that civil society and the government need to find solutions to the challenges facing China today.
Amnesty International “The Olympics Countdown”
An overriding preoccupation with ensuring ‘harmony’ and ‘stability’ has featured heavily in China’s preparations for hosting major events including the Olympic Games in August 2008. Amnesty International reports that repression of activists overshadows death penalty and media reforms.
CHINESE NEWSPAPERS (IN ENGLISH)
BOOKS AND FILMS
Randall Peerenboom “China’s Long March Toward Rule of Law” (2002)
This book offers an in-depth analysis of the main transformations undergone by the Chinese legal system over the past twenty-five years.
PBS Series “China from the Inside” (2006)
China is rapidly becoming a world power, but much of the country and its people remain hidden to those outside its borders. This documentary series provides a rare insider’s view of China, her institutions and people.
Independent Lens “China Blue” (2007)
Film takes viewers inside a blue jeans factory in southern China, where teenage workers struggle to survive harsh working conditions. Providing perspectives from both the top and bottom levels of the factory’s hierarchy, this documentary looks at complex issues of globalization at a human scale.
Frontline “China in the Red” (2003)
Filmed over the course of three turbulent years, this two-hour documentary tells the stories of 10 Chinese individuals — including factory workers, rural villagers, and a millionaire entrepreneur — caught up in China’s dramatic, ongoing effort to modernize its economy.
Frontline “The Tank Man” (2006)
After all others had been silenced, his lonely act of defiance against the Chinese regime amazed the world. This documentary questions what became of him? And 17 years later, has China succeeded in erasing Tiannamen Square from its history?
