The Comparative Law School of China

Abstract

This article analyzes the comparative law curriculum developed by Soochow University Law School, from its founding Shanghai in 1915 until its closure during the reorganization of higher education in 1952. The Law School was founded by Americans and many members of its faculty and leadership were American-trained; it remains deservedly famous for its specialty in Anglo- American law. Soochow was widely known as the 'Comparative Law School of China,' and by the 1920s the school was offering an impressive and truly comparative program. Even at that early date, Soochow prepared its students to practice in two very different legal worlds, a goal many law schools now seek to achieve. The school also sent many of its graduates to study abroad, where they excelled in their studies, whether in Europe or the U.S. The article considers its relevance to legal education in China today as well as its achievements in the pre-1949 period.

Keywords: Chinese legal education, Chinese legal history