Revision of the Adoption Law

DECEMBER 29, 1991, saw thePresident of the People'sRepublic of China promulgatea new adoption law by Order 54, a lawwhich was introduced to the seventhNational People's Congress at thetwenty-third meeting of its StandingCommittee and which took effect fromApril 1, 1992. This was the first suchadoption law in China and, althoughadoption did occur prior to itsimplementation, it was not then boundby legal measures or guarantee.     

Safeguard Rights and Interests of Women in Accordance with the Law——the Five-Year Anniversary of the Implementation of the Law of the PRC on the Protection of Righ Is and Interests of Women

ON April 3, 1992, the Law of the PRC on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women (Protection Law), the first basic law for protecting rights and interests of women and promoting equality between men and women in China, was adopted at the fifth session of the Seventh National People's Congress (NPC), and entered into force on October 1 of the same year.     

Respect and Protection:A Review of the Implementation of the Law of the P.R.C. on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women

JIANG Zemin, President of the People's Republic of China, once said: "Respecting women and protecting women is an important sign of social progress. It should become a civilized society's legal provision and moral concept." On October 1, 1992 the Law of the P.R.C. on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women was put into effect, which was considered a major accomplishment for China and Chinese women. More than two years have passed since the implementation of the law. How well has the law been     

General Principles of the Civil Law of the People's Republic of China

In this issue we will introduce readers to the General Principles of the Civil Lave of the People's Republic of China, which was adopted at the Fourth Session of the Sixth National People's Congress, promulgated by order No.37 of the President of the People's Republic of China on April 12, 1986, and effective as of January 1, 1987.This law was formulated according to the constitution and the actual situation in our country, drawing upon our practical experience in civil actirities,for the purpose of protecting the lawful civil rights and interests of citizens and legal persons and correctly adjusting civil relations,so as to meet the needs of the developing socialist modernizationThe Civil Law of the People's Republie of China has 156 articles and 9 chapters. The chapters are:1) Basic Principles;2) Citizen (Natural Person); 3) Legal Persons; 4) Civil Law and Agencies; 5)Civil Rights; 6) Civil Liability; 7) Limitations of Action; 8) Application of Law in Civil Relations with Foreigners; and 9) Supplement     

Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors

Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors is China's first overall law aimed at guaranteeing minors' rights and interests. We will introduce this law to our readers in this issue.     

New Law Protects the Health of Mothers and Infants

CHINA celebrates International Children's Day this year with the implementation of a law protecting the health of the country's mothers and infants. The Law of the P.R.C. on the Protection of Mothers and Infants, passed on October 27, 1994, during the 10th Session of the 8th Standing Committee of National People's Congress, was publicly issued on the No.33 Command of the President of the P.R.C. and will go into effect June 1, 1995. This first law specifically concerned with the protection of the health of women and children is expected to play an important role in the overall improvement of the health of the Chinese people, the quality of the population, the advancement of the society, and the overall happiness among families. The law stresses the promotion of maternal and child hygiene     

Laws Concern Domestic Issues of the PRC

Article 1 This Law is formulated in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China with a view to ensuring self-government by the villagers in the countryside, who will administer their own affairs in accordance with the law, and promoting socialist democracy at the grassroots level, socialist material     

The First Time the Right Was Gained

ONE of the fundamental distinctionsof a modern society from atraditional one is that in a modernsociety every citizen enjoys his/her rightslaid down by law.Traditionally,womenwere expelled from society’s mainstream.influenced as it was by the dominatingConfucian ideology,one philosophy of     

What Has the Marriage Law Done for Women?

"LAW" has been drawing closer to the lives ofordinary Chinese people since the 1980s. Overthe past 10 years or so China has issued manylaws in rapid succession. "Governing the statebased on law" was put into the Constitution of thePRC in March 1999, laying a solid foundation forthe realization of the nation's four modernizations. I became a lawyer in 1985. Since becoming astaff member of the All-China Women'sFederation (ACWF), I have consulted on theMarriage Law and other regulations and clausesrelated to it.     

A Soldier on the Roof of the World

IT was during the Cultural Revolution, in, the year that I turned 16, that I put on an army uniform, got on a train, and left Beijing for Urumqi in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. After six days of driving on the vast Gobi Desert, I reached Kashi of southern Xinjiang. After another six days' severe jolting, I arrived at the hig'nest land in China. I was one of the five first women soldiers     

Recalling the Past of My Husband

Song Xiaohan is the widow of the patriotic general He Jifeng, who served in the War of Resistance Against Japan, He Jifeng was once a brigade commander of the 110th Brigade in the 29th Corps under the Kuomintang. In September 1935, he was transferred to Beiping (the old name of Beijing], and was put in charge of defending Wanping County Seat, Fengtai Township, the Pinghan Railway and Lugouqiao areas. On July 7th, 1937, when the Lugouqiao Incident happened he took his place in front of the troups to direct the battle, and issued an order to fight back the Japanese invaders. The commanders and soldiers of the 29th Corps shot the first bullet in the War of Resistance Against Japan.Song Xiaohan met General He Jifeng after the Lugouqiao Incident, and accompanied him through the disturbances of a half century. He Jifeng died in 1980. Now 80 years old Song Xiaohan lives in Beijing and spends her remaining years quietly. She recalled her old days as follows.     

Ruijin Women in the Period of the Red Army (Ⅰ)

IN the 1930's, the power of the Communist Party of China was first born in southern China. Women cut their hair short and unbound their feet. Women gained freedom of choice in marriage and fought side by side with men. Fighting for Respect The first red political power of China's Soviet Republic was born in the boundary region of Jiangxi and Fujian provinces in November of 1931. Covering 35 counties with a population of 3     

Flawers of the Sun

I was not a flower lover when I was a little girl. Instead, I spent my days mixing with the "mischievous" boys in the neighborhood; my favorite toys were wooden sticks which I imagined to be guns. I guess part of the reason for my unusual behavior goes to the influence of my father serving in the army and China was undergoing the Cultural Revolution. Then all things beyond bare necessity were categorized as bourgeois extravagance. How could a prole-tariat offspring come to love flowers, which     

1997: Year of the Tourist

ON January 1, 1997, a strong wind blew into Beijing just after a heavy snow. But still the Capital Airport was abuzz with activity. A welcoming team was gathered awaiting the arrival of the first batch of guests of the 1997 China International Year of the Tourist. The team was comprised of 200 drummers, dragon dancers, lion dancers and 300 young women, each holding bouquets of fresh flowers and pinwheels spinning in the wind.     

The Constitution of the People's Republic of China-ChapterⅡ

The Fundamental Rights and Duties of Citizens Article 33. All persons holding the nationality of the People's Republic of China are citizens of the People's Republic of China. All citizens of the People's Republic of China are equal before the law. Every citizen is entitled to the rights and at the same time must perform the duties prescribed by the Constitution and the law.     

Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China (extracts)

This issue u'e uould like to inlroduce our readers to the Criminal Lau' of the People's Republic of China. The law was adopted at the Second Session of the Fifth National People's Congress on July 1, 1979, promulgated by Order No.5 of the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on July' 6, 1979 and effectire as of January 1, 1980.The Criminal Lau' consists of tu'o parts. The first has 5 chapters and 89 articles and the second has 8 chapters and 192 articles. We hare only extracted a feu' articles concerning u'omen and children and some general prorisions.     

Chen Lu Rewrites the History of Figure Skating

ON March 11, 1995, 18-year-old Chinese athlete Chen Lu took first place in the women's singles of the World Figure Skating Championship held in Birmingham, Britain. For the first time, the name of a Chinese was recorded on the list of single skating champions.     

The Story of Princess Wencheng A Folk Tale of the Tibetan Nationality

THE King of Tibet, Songtsan Gambo, was wise and capable. In order to make Tibet prosperous, he planned to marry Princess Wencheng of the Imperial Palace, who was both beautiful and kindhearted. He sent the resourceful Gawa to the Emperor to propose. In order to choose a satisfactory son-in-law among such a great number of suitors, the Emperor asked messengers to take part in a wisdom competition. He first asked the messengers to match the mares with their foals in a large herd. Of all the messengers, Gawa was the only one who passed this test. First he separated the mares from their foals and locked them into two paddocks. After half a day, he released the foals and herded them in with the mares. The hungry foals immediately ran to their mothers to suckle their milk. In this way it was easy to see who belonged to whom. After this test of wit the Emperor gave the messengers two more puzzles. The first one was to ask them to eat an entire sheep in one day, tan its hide, drink a jug of alcohol and walk bac     

Visiting the Hometown of Hua Mulan

IN China,the story of Hua Mulandisguising herself as a man andjoining the army is an ageless themeand every household knows the story.The name of the heroine was spreadeven wider when Walt Disney Companysuccessfully launched an animatedproduction of it.The animated film,“Hua Mulan,”caused a stir in theinternational film market.Amused andmoved by the woman’s story,morepeople became interested in its origin;sowhere is the hometown of Hua Mulan?     

For the Sake of the Children

THE United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has come a long way in China. Since its assistance program was resumed in 1979, UNICEF has assisted children of China through 100 major projects involving a commitment of more than US$ 200 million through 1995. The global organization's contribution to improving the well-being of 380