The Great Qing Code (大清律例, Da Qing lü li or Ta Tsing Leu Lee) was drafted
in 1646, but abolished along with the end of Qing dynasty in 1912. This gigantic legislative
work spanned over two centuries and ruled millions of people. As a fundamental
comprehensive criminal code of Qing dynasty (1644-1912) and the last traditional legal
code in Chinese history, literally, the Qing code offers us a very broad view on the traditional
Chinese law. It is an extraordinary monument for legal historians to penetrate
and comprehend Chinese traditional ways of understanding law, justice and punishment.
Its 436 statutes (律, lü) and over 1,000 sub-statutes (例, li) form an intricate
body of rules, analogies, exceptions, annotations and cases. Furthermore, a very strong
continuity can be found between the Qing code and the Tang code (唐律, Tang lü)
promulgated in the seventh century since about 40 per cent articles of the Qing code
was derived from the Tang code.
This essay focuses on the formation, the distinctive character, the basic structure, the
diffusion and the reform of the Qing code from historical and comparative perspectives.
