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Sources of Law - Legislation: PRC

Introduction

China’s legal system could be regarded as a civil law system, including three levels, state laws, administrative regulations and local statutes. 

This page offers relevant materials under three categories:

Point to note

Please note that there is no official translation of Chinese law in English. Most translated versions available online are for reference only.

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Official Sources

国家法律法规数据库  (click to visit)

The National Database of Laws and Regulations was launched in February 2021, with its aim to facilitate access of legal services by the general public. All PRC laws, judicial documents, regulations of different states and other relevant information can be obtained via this site.

全国人大常委会公报  (click to visit)

Being the highest legislative body in the country, content of documents on the recent annual sessions held by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (全国人大常委会) can be found on this website, regarding updates on legislative decisions made by the committee. Availability of content start from 2018 to the present. Chinese version of the site was originated in 2005, while English version was launched in 2006.

中华人民共和国国务院公报 (click to visit)
This Gazette published by the State Council of the PRC concerns all legislative decisions and orders announced by the Council, with legal notices and updates. This site offers an archival collection with a table of contents of the Gazettes dating back to 1954 till the present.

最高人民法院公报  (click to visit)
Originated in 1985, this Gazette is published by the Supreme People’s Court of the PRC and regarded as an important publication on judicial information by the Court. A full archive of table of contents can be found on this site.

最高人民检察院公报 (click to visit)
Published by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the PRC, this Gazette offers latest updates on decisions made by the unit, including regular work reviews, list of appointments and etc. Index of the title can be found on this site, dating back to 2010.

HKU Libraries' Resources

PKULAW 北大法宝

Founded by the Peking University in 1985, PKULAW serves as a reputable tool in the field by providing all-inclusive resources of PRC legal information, including laws and regulations, cases, and judicial interpretations. The English Library of PKULAW provides the English translations of laws and regulations for research reference.

Access Path: Select "法律法规" / English > Laws & Regulations


 

Lexis China 律商网

Lexis China offers comprehensive resources including Chinese laws and regulations, case law, judicial interpretations, commentaries and news. Searches can be done using keywords or by filtering listed information. Selected contents are provided with English translations within this database too.

 

PrimeLaw

PrimeLaw contains mainland legislation with an advanced search engine, where you can search using keywords, or by adding filters to limit the results. Selected legislation have been translated into English. Contents are also categorised by subjects, industries, effect level, geographical regions, date, validity status, and authorities for a handy browse.
Access Path: "Mainland Legislation" tab

 

*For a full list of subscribed databases on Chinese law, please visit the Libraries' Electronic Resources page.  

Gazettes (國家公告) published by different government departments or agencies of the PRC can be found in HKU Libraries’ Collection. Below are some key titles:

Open Access Resources

                                                                                

 

 

WorldLII (click to visit)
Serves to promote the free access of legal information by the general public, consolidated information on Chinese Law and its regulations can be found here, which helps to direct you to the corresponding site for accessing of the desired information.

Access path: WorldLII > Catalog > All Categories > Countries > China > Legislation