The Civil Code
The Civil Code holds an important position second only to the Constitution in the state system of laws. It is the basic law governing the market economy and the basic code of conduct for the citizens, and provides legal basis for judges to refer to when ruling civil and commercial cases.
China had made three attempts to compile a civil code, in 1954, 1962 and 1979, only to stop for various reasons. To protect the civil rights and interests of Chinese citizens and legal persons of corporations, properly adjust civil relations, and meet the requirements of socialist modernization, the NPC compiled the General Principles of Civil Law, which were promulgated in April 1986 and implemented since January 1, 1987. On March 15, 2017, the General Provisions of Civil Law were adopted after being reviewed by the NPC.
On December 16, 2019, the draft Civil Code was made public. A week later, at the 15th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC, the whole draft of the Civil Code was deliberated, including different draft books and the General Provisions of Civil Law. The draft had 1,260 articles in seven books – general parts, real rights, contracts, personality rights, marriage and family, succession, and tort liability – and supplementary provisions.
On May 28, 2020, the 13th NPC adopted the Civil Code at its third session, and the law came into effect on January 1, 2021.
The Civil Code is the first law to be enacted by the People's Republic that carries the title "code." It holds an important position in the socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics. It is a fundamental law that serves to build the legal foundation, confirm expectations, and yield long-term development. It integrates the civil laws and norms applied in China over the past seven decades, is rooted in the Chinese legal culture that has existed for 5,000 years, and draws on the experience of other countries in applying the rule of law.
The Civil Code reflects the nature of Chinese socialism, the interests and will of the people, and the requirements of the times. It safeguards equal protection to life and health, property security, convenient transactions, happy life, personal dignity, and other rights. It displays Chinese features, is based on practice, and encapsulates the spirit of the times.
中華人民共和國民法典
民法典在國家法律體系中的地位僅次于憲法。民法典是市場經濟的基本法、市民生活的基本行為準則，法官裁判民商事案件的基本依據。中國曾于1954年、1962年、1979年三次啟動民法典的制定。隨后，全國人民代表大會為保障公民、法人的合法的民事權益，正確調整民事關系，適應社會主義現代化建設事業發展的需要，根據憲法和中國實際情況，總結民事活動的實踐經驗，制定了《中華人民共和國民法通則》，并于1986年4月頒布實施，自1987年1月1日起施行，被稱為“準法典”。直到2017年3月15日，《中華人民共和國民法總則》經全國人大審議通過，中國正式全面開啟民法典時代。
2019年12月16日，《中華人民共和國民法典》草案公布。 2019年12月23日，十三屆全國人大常委會第十五次會議開幕，由民法典各分編草案與2017年制定的民法總則“合體”而成的《中華人民共和國民法典（草案）》首次亮相。草案共7編，依次為總則編、物權編、合同編、人格權編、婚姻家庭編、繼承編、侵權責任編，以及附則，共1260條。2020年5月28日，十三屆全國人大三次會議表決通過了《中華人民共和國民法典》。這部法律自2021年1月1日起施行。
《中華人民共和國民法典》是新中國成立以來第一部以“法典”命名的法律，在中國特色社會主義法律體系中具有重要地位，是一部固根本、穩預期、利長遠的基礎性法律。這部民法典系統整合了新中國成立70多年來長期實踐形成的民事法律規范，汲取了中華民族5000多年優秀法律文化，借鑒了人類法治文明建設有益成果，是一部體現中國社會主義性質、符合人民利益和愿望、順應時代發展要求的民法典，是一部體現對生命健康、財產安全、交易便利、生活幸福、人格尊嚴等各方面權利平等保護的民法典，是一部具有鮮明中國特色、實踐特色、時代特色的民法典。
