中国“民间法”的他国境遇——从《吃一碗茶》看唐人街的法律文化

The Chinese "Folk Law" Practice in Other Countries:Analysis on China Town's Legal Culture from Eat a Bowl of Tea

本文从法律文化的角度出发,借助华裔美国文学《吃一碗茶》的文本,探讨"唐人街"小说的文本所显现的独特性及华人文化的独特性。在《吃一碗茶》中,中国的"家法族规"在维护家族声誉、保持唐人街社会秩序方面有其重要作用。"家法族规"呈现的是"民间法"的形态和表现。这一独特的法律文化在唐人街上的实践作用,使唐人街这个中国文化的"飞地"具有独特性的表现,中国"民间法"的法律实践显示了中美文化差异的深层形态。而唐人街"民间法"与美国"国家法"的不同特点和共存性,也表明了美国现代法律文化多元共存中移民文化的特色。

This paper studies the uniqueness of ＂Chinatown＂ novel and Chinese culture from the perspective of legal culture by analyzing Chinese American literature by taking Eat a Bowl of Tea as an example. Chinese ＂regulations of the family and clan＂, in the form and presentation of ＂folk law＂, plays an important role in maintaining the clan reputation and Chinatown＇s social order. The special practice of such legal culture in the Chinatown made it a unique ＂enclave place＂ in Chinese culture and its legal practice of Chinese ＂folk law＂ displays the cultural differences between China and America. The disparities and co- existence between Chinatown＇s ＂folk law＂ and American ＂national law＂ also show the characteristics of co-existence of American immigrant culture in contemporary American legal culture.