Human Rights Protection in the Context of Ruling the Country by Law

At a conference in Beijing on December 4, 2012 marking the 30th anni- versary of the adoption of the current Constitution, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping pointed out, ＂To fully implement the Constitution is the primary task and the basic work in building a socialist nation ruled by law.＂ He also said, ＂A country ruled by law should be first ruled by the Constitution, and lawful governance should be based on the Constitution.＂

Women’s Councils:A Practical Exploration on the Construction of Democracy, Autonomy and the Rule of Law at the Grassroots Level

The women’s councils are an innovation advocated by the All-China women’s federation for women’s participation in social management and grassroots democracy.They are a beneficial exploration for women to participate in public affairs according to the law in accordance with Article 2 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China,and are a model of"the combination of autonomy,rule of law and rule of virtue."The women’s councils have aroused the enthusiasm of women to participate in public affairs,stimulated their autonomous vitality and creativity,and helped to solve the problems of women’s lack of representation and voice in decision-making.The process of deliberation is also the process of developing the awareness of rights,rules,consultation ability,the concept of the rule of law and even thinking about the rule of law.The women’s councils not only help to protect the rights and interests of women and children and promote women’s development,but also has unique value in enriching grassroots consultative democracy,developing grassroots mass autonomy,building a society ruled by law and promoting the implementation of the Constitution.we should therefore fully affirm,support and perfect the women’s councils so as to make it long-term,standardized and institutionalized.

The Problem of Confucian Moral Cultivation and Its Solution： Using Ritual Propriety to Support Rule by Law

Thinking about the decline of morality in post-reform China, the author analyzes the development of virtuous governance based on moral education, and concludes that the reason why ancient rulers were so infatuated with it was the inhibitive function of public evaluation on moral transgressions in familiar neighborhoods. However, as China transforms into a dynamic and commercial society, and its people move from familiar neighborhoods to alienated communities in the cities, public evaluation is losing its power over moral transgressors. To prevent the collapse of the moral system, it is necessary to use rule by law to foster people＇s sense of justice and rule-consciousness--not to simply hope for the appearance of more altruists. This is possible because law is the embodiment of moral principle, and because legal restraints and penalties can be internalized as habits. After a sense of justice and rule-consciousness has been established in people, we can again take up Confucian virtue education to nurture people＇s sense of shame and dignity, and their humane and righteous mind. However, to stop the current chaos and corruption, it is urgeat that we adopt rule by law and supplement it with moral education.