When discussing about Chinese law, contemporary accounts often repeat a story that starts around the nineteenth century and revolves around Western legal models. In the limited space available, the chapter aims to tell another version of the same story and to place the newly enacted Chinese Civil Code in a wider historical and comparative perspective. As the chapter argues, it is against the long-term background that one should appreciate the meaning of the Code and its contribution to putting China back in its traditional position vis-à-vis the world at large.
