近代中国法制现代化进程再认识

Re-understanding on the Modernization Process of Chinese Legal System during Modern China

此前,学界习惯性把中国法制现代化进程的起始定位于20世纪初的清末法制改革,而且还认为这是一种“自上而下”、“由面到点”的过程等等。其实不然。如果以中国租界法制为出发点,再对中国法制现代化进程进行考察,就可以对这一现代化进程有个更为客观的认识。中国法制现代化起始于19世纪中叶,最早的是上海英租界的法制。中国法制现代化进程中有一个“自下而上”和“由点到面”的现代法制发展过程,这一过程是中国法制现代化的量变过程,为清末法制改革的质变过程作了准备。因此,中国法制现代化进程是个“自下而上”和“自上而下”、“由点到面”和“由面到点”相结合的进程。它们都不可偏废,否则,这一进程就残缺不全,缺少了整体性。

The modernization of Chinese legal system began in the middle of 19th Century, which originated from the British concession in Shanghai. The modernization process of Chinese legal system is a "top-down","plane-to-point" developmental process of modern legal system. This is a quantitative change process concerning the modernization of Chinese legal system, which made preparations for a qualitative one of the late Qing Dynasty’s legal system reform. Therefore, the modernization of Chinese law is an integrated “bottom-up”,“top-down,’,“plane-to-point” and “point-to-plane” process. None of these can be neglected, or, this process is incomplete and lack integrity.