论清末国际公法的引入与中国法律的近代化

The Introduction of International Law in Late Qing Dynasty and Chinese Legal Modernization

学界对中国法律近代化的启动,一向将之归功于沈家本及其主持下的修订法律馆。然而,在此之前中国早已开始了对西方国际公法的翻译与引介,其初衷就在于希望借用国际法规则在与外国办理外交事宜时占据主动。而随着国际法书籍的大规模引入,西方的法律概念、法律思想也一并传入中国,引发了中国法律近代化的历程。而引发这一历程的特殊历史契机,也使得中国法律近代化自始就带上了功利主义的色彩,阻碍了法治建设的进程。

Scholars always attribute the startup of Chinese legal modernization to Shen Jiaben and the bureau for compilation of law. However, before this, China already started to translate inter- national law. The purpose lies in hoping to use international law rules to occupy initiative in foreign matters. But along with the large scale introduction of international law books, the western legal concepts and legal thoughts were also introduced into China together, which caused the process of Chinese legal modernization. The special historic opportunity made Chinese legal modernization from the first brought the utilitarianism color, which hindered the construction of rules of the law society.