中国究竟需要一部什么样的民法典——兼谈民法典中如何处理与商法的关系

What Kind of Civil Code Is Needed in China?:On the Positioning of Commercial Law in Civil Code

民法典不是一种简单的文本设计,而是一种理念、一种精神、一种文化,是抽象提炼的一些适用于所有社会主体的带有基础性的普适性规则。民法典的编纂与其说是一种重大立法活动,毋宁说是一种重大的国家政治行为。民法典制定的目的不应是单纯地为了填补法律体系上的缺失,更重要的应是利用民法典自身的丰厚文化意蕴和强大辐射功能,提振中国的法治文化和法治精神。民法典的制定必须有明确的法律精神、法律理念和法律价值作支撑。民法典应是公民权利的圣经,是公民基本行为的路引与航标,是一国民族精神和民族文化的体现和升华,是国家现代法治的主要载体。民法典的内容应以基本性、人本性、普遍性、典型性、重大性、稳定性和代表性作为设定条件。民法与商法的基本分工是:民法是调整商品经济的基本法,是市场经济的前置性法律;商法是市场经济的基本法,在市场经济法律体系中居于核心地位。在民法典编纂的技术路径选择上,基于节约立法成本和考虑社会的可接受程度,与其草率冒进地制定一部全新的民法典,不如在充分总结《民法通则》适用经验的基础上,对既有的较为成熟的《民法通则》进行扩充、改造和升级,将民法典打造成《民法通则》的升级版或2.0版。

The compiling of the Civil Code is not a creation of new texts, but the introduction of a kind of concept, spirit and culture. What to be included shall be the fundamental and universal rules applicable to all social subjects. Therefore the compiling of the Civil Code is not only a significant legislative activity, but also an important political act by the State. The purpose of the compiling is not to fill gaps in the legal system, but to promote the legal culture and the rule of law in China by the cultural implications and radiant feature of the Civil Code, promoting legal spirit and legal culture in China. The compiling of Civil code needs support from specific legal spirit, legal concepts and legal values. Consequently the Civil Code should be a Bible of civil rights, which shall guide the basic conducts of citizens. It is also a reflection and sublimation of the national spirit and national culture, as well as a major embodiment of the rule of law. Contents of the Civil Code shall be characterized as fundamental, people-oriented, general, typical, crucial, stable and representative. The basic functional division between civil law and commercial law is that civil law is the basic law to regulate com- modity economy and a pre-positioned law in market economy ; while commercial law is the basic law in market economy, as well as the center of the legal system in market economy. It is suggested that the compiling of the Civil Code be based on an improvement and upgrade of the General Principles of Civil Law by fully drawing ex- perience from the applicability of the General Principles of Civil Law. In consideration of the legislation cost and acceptability of the society, an upgraded version or version 2.0 of the General Principles of Civil Law is preferred to a rashly-compiled new version when compiling the Civil Code.