Chinese Law

The Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program in Chinese Law is a Graduate Law program offered by Peking University Law School,focusing on Chinese civil and commercial law. The language of instruction is English.

Peking University is a pre-eminent university in China, best well-known for her long history, rich culture, distinguished alumni, enlightened education policies and exciting campus life. Established in 1904, the law school has become a leading institution for legal education and a potent force for legal development in China. The Law school frequently joins forces with the government, law firms and business community in the development of cutting edge legal, social and commercial policies. The Law School also has many international links and partnership programs with leading universities and legal institutions around the world.

With China's rapid economic growth and growing presence on the world stage, the knowledge of Chinese law has become an essential resource for international students and legal professionals engaged with China. Peking University Law School established the LL.M.Program in Chinese Law to address the needs of an international community seeking a comprehensive and systematic understanding of Chinese law from a first-rate legal institution.

This program provides an intensive instruction in Chinese law. Leading faculty members will offer Chinese law courses specially designed for international students. Teaching will comprise of both lectures and small-group seminars. In addition, Peking University regularly attracts top scholars and practitioners in Chinese law and students will have first-hand access to such distinguished presenters. There are also optional subjects in non-law areas such as politics, economy and society to facilitate students’ understanding of China's culture. Moreover, courses on Mandarin Chinese are available for the improvement of language skill and adaption to local residence.

The LL.M. Program offers assistance to students in seeking internship opportunities at top law firms and other legal institutions in China, with a hope to avail them with a better comprehension of the Chinese legal system and its cultural underpinnings. Through the program, students can establish a solid foundation for their career development relating to China.

This degree is an equivalent of Master of Laws degree currently offered to Chinese students. No more than 30 students will be admitted into this program in the year of 2015. Academic faculty advisors will be assigned to each student for his/her study and degree thesis. Chinese student partners in Peking University Law School are also available to offer help.

Fall Semester

• Chinese Civil Law (Credit Unit: 3)
• Chinese Company Law (Credit Unit: 3)
• Chinese Constitutional and Administrative Law (Credit Unit: 3)
• Chinese Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure(Credit Unit: 3)
• Chinese Judicial System (Credit Unit: 2)
• Legal Chinese (Credit Unit: 2)
• Elementary Chinese (Credit Unit: 4)
• Fieldwork (Credit Unit: 1)

Spring Semester

• Chinese Foreign Investment Law(Credit Unit: 3)
• Chinese Intellectual Property Law(Credit Unit: 3)
• Chinese Civil Procedure and Arbitration Law(Credit Unit: 3)
• Chinese Contract Law (Credit Unit: 2)
• Chinese Economic Law (Credit Unit: 3)
• International Law as Applied in China: Theory and Practice (Credit Unit: 2)
• Fieldwork (Credit Unit: 1)

Credit and Thesis Requirements

Students are required to enrol in a minimum of 36 credits including all required courses and pass all course examinations.

In order to obtain the LL.M. degree, students must complete the master’s thesis relating to Chinese law and pass the thesis defence. A master’s thesis shall be 12,000 words or more, and be written in Chinese or English. A thesis that is written in English shallinclude a Chinese Appendix with about 8,000 Chinese characters.

After approved by the Peking University Degree Committee, the students can receive the LL.M. Program’s graduation certificate and the degree certificate for the Master of Laws.

Lecturers

Program Faculty

Bai Guimei

Professor; LL.M., Peking University; LL.M., Dalhousie University; Ph.D. in Law, Peking University; Visiting Scholar, Dalhousie University School of Law, University of Ottawa and New York University School of Law; Visiting Fellow, Lunds Universitet, Sweden; Lecturer of Summer Program held by Dept. of Continuing Education,University of Oxford and George Washington University Law School

Chen Duanhong

Professor; LL.B., Hunan Normal University; LL.M., China University of Political Science and Law; Ph.D. in Law, China Academy of Social Science; Post doctor, London University; Visiting Scholar at University of Sydney and University of Melbourne

Chen Ruoying

Associate Professor; LL.B., Peking University (1999); M.Juris, Oxford University (2000); LL.M(2005) and J.S.D. (2010), The University of Chicago Law School; John.M.Olin Fellow in the Law and Economics Program; Visiting Lecturer and Visiting Assistant Professor, The University of Chicago Law School

Deng Feng

Associate Professor; LL.B., LL.M. and Ph.D. in Law, Renmin University of China; Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School

Fu Yulin

Professor; LL.B., Wuhan University; LL.M., Peking University; Ph.D. in Law, Renmin University of China; Post Doctoral Researcher, Peking University; Visiting scholar at Tuebingen University in Germany, Northeastern University, Université de Montréal in Canada and Yale University

Ge Yunsong

Professor; LL.B., Nanjing University; LL.M., Peking University; Ph.D. in Law, Peking University; LL.M., Yale University

Guo Li

Law School Professor & Vice Dean of Peking University Law School. LL.B., Ph.D. in Law, Peking University; LL.M., Harvard Law School; LL.M., Southern Methodist University School of Law; Visiting Professor, Cornell Law School; Visiting Scholar, Vanderbilt Law School; Research Fellow, German Humboldt Foundation

Jin Jinping

Associate Professor; LL.B., LL.M., Ph.D. in Law, Peking University Law School; Visiting scholar at UMKC, Yale Law School and University of Michigan Law School; Post Doctor, China Academy of Social Science; Vice Director of the Center for Real Estate Law and Assistant Director of the Center for Nonprofit Organizations Law at Peking University Law School

Jiang Su

Associate Professor; LL.M., Ph.D. in Law, Postdoctoral Researcher, Peking University Law School; Visiting Scholar, Berkeley Law, University of California; Postdoctoral Researcher, Max-Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law, Freiburg, Germany

Ling Bin

Professor; LL.B., Ph.D. in Law, Peking University Law School; LL.M., Yale Law School

Liu Dongjin

Associate Professor; LL.B., LL.M, Peking University Law School; Visiting Scholar at the University of Minnesota Law School

Liu Yan

Professor; LL.B., LL.M., Ph.D. in Law, Peking University; Visiting Scholar at UMKC, Leidon University in the Netherlands and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London

Liu Yinliang

Law School Professor; Ph.D. in Law, M.S.(Biology), Peking University

Liu Zhewei

Assistant Professor; LL.B., Beijing Normal University; LL.M., Peking University; Ph.D. in law, Peking University; Postdoctoral Researcher, Tsinghua University Law School. Visiting Scholar at UCLA Law School

Lou Jianbo

Associate Professor; LL.B., LL.M., Peking University; Ph.D. in Law, Queen Mary College, University of London; Senior Lecturer in Chinese Commercial Law, University of Cambridge; Visiting Researcher at Centre for Commercial Law Studies at Queen Mary, University of London

Peng Bing

Law School Professor; LL.B., East China University of Political Science and Law; LL.M., Ph.D. in Law, Peking University; Visiting Scholar at Berkeley Law, University of California

Shao Jingchun

Professor; LL.B., LL.M., Ph.D. in Law, Peking University; Post Doctor, Visiting Researcher at European University Institute

Shen Kui

Professor; LL.B., LL.M., Ph.D. in Law, Peking University; Visiting Scholar, Columbia Law School, April-June of 1998; Visiting Scholar, Georgetown Law Center, January-June of 2002. Principal areas of publishing and teaching: Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Human Rights, Government Tort

Tang Yingmao

Associate Professor; LL.B., LL.M., Peking University; LL.M., JSD, Yale University; International Associate, Shearman & Sterling LLP; In-house Counsel, China International Capital Corporation Limited; Associate, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Wang Jiancheng

Professor; LL.B., LL.M., Peking University; Ph. D. in Law, Renmin University of China ; Visiting Scholar at Catholic University of Louvain; Visiting Research Scholars(Fullbright Program)at Yale University

Wang Shizhou

Professor; LL.B., LL.M., Peking University; LL.M., Berkeley Law, University of California; Alexander-von-Humboldt Research Fellow in Max-Planck-Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law in Freiburg and in the Augsburg University, Germany; AvH-Ambassador Scientist(2011); Director of the Chinese Criminology Association

Wang Xixin

Professor & Vice Dean of Peking University Law School; LL.B., Zhongnan University of Economics and Law(the former Zhongnan College of Political Science and Law); LL.M., Ph.D. in Law, Peking University; Visiting Scholar and Senior Researcher, Columbia Law School; Research Fellow at Stanford University and UCLA; Fellow of the China Law Center, Yale Law School

Wu Zhipan

Professor & Deputy President of Peking University; LL.B., LL.M, Ph.D. in Law, Peking University; Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School;EisenhowerFoundationFellow (1997)

Xu Defeng

Associate Professor; LL.B., LL.M., Peking University; Magister, University of Munich; Doctor of Law, Peking University; Postdoctoral Fellow, Renmin University of China; Ph.D. in Law, University of Munich

Yang Ming

Associate Professor; LL.B., LL.M., Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Doctor of Law, Renmin University of China; Postdoctoral Fellow, Peking University; Visiting Scholar, University of California Berkeley

Research areas: Intellectual property law, competition law

Zhan Zhongle

Law School Professor; LL.B, LL.M, Ph.D. in Law, Peking University; Visiting Research, Nagoya University School of Law; Visiting Scholar based on The International Visitor Leadership Program; Senior Visiting Scholar (Fullbright Program); Deputy Director of Constitution and Administrative Law Research Center of Peking University (ministerial key research base of humanities and social science); Director of Educational Law Research Center of Peking University

Zhang Ping

Yahoo!-Founder Endowed Chair Law Professor; LL.M., Ph.D. in Law, Peking University; Visiting Scholar at University of Washington-Seattle; Visiting Researcher at the Institute of Intellectual Property in Tokyo, Japan

Zhang Qi

Professor; LL.B., Jilin University; LL.M., Ph.D. in Law, Peking University; Senior Visiting Scholar, Yale Law School; Visiting Scholar, HOKKAIDO University School of Law, Heidelberg University Law School and Harvard Law School; Executive Director of the Institute of Comparative Law and Legal Sociology, Peking University

Zhang Qianfan

Professor; LL.B., University of Maryland; Ph.D. in Law, Peking University; Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School; Visiting Researcher at Heidelberg University Law School; Executive Director of the Institute of Comparative Law and Legal Sociology, Peking University

Zhang Yali

Assistant Professor; LL.M., Peking University

Zhang Yongle

Associate Professor; LL.B., Peking University Law School; Ph.D., Dept. of Political Science of UCLA

Zhu Suli

Professor; LL.B., Peking University; LL.M., Pacific McGeorge School of Law; Ph.D. in law, Arizona State University; Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School and Yale Law School

Quote from Program Alumni

Shinsuke Yakura (LL.M., 2008)

Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

I had studied in the U.S., U.K., as well as Japan before came to Peking University. With the wonderful track record of making a difference and engaging with the world, PKU Law School didn’t disappoint me. Many of the teachers there have lived and studiedoverseas, so they had a good understanding of what I wanted to get out of my time at Beijing. They were also very helpful and generous with their time. Moreover, classmates from many different countries and backgrounds formed a diverse and cosmopolitan study body within a supportive environment. One of the many advantages I gainedduring my time there was the new friendships and professional contacts I made.

In addition to academic courses, the generic research and transferable skills also enhanced my future career opportunity. The internship I did at local law firms in Beijing prepared and benefited me a lot for the China related practice. The investment in both time and money that I made in doing the LL.M. at Peking University has already been repaidto me many times over. The LL.M. program has not only opened many professional doors for me, perhaps more importantly it has resulted in binding friendships and relationships that I truly value and which I am sure will continue to grow and deepen over the rest of my life.

Gavin Denton (LL.M., 2011)

Founder & Arbitrator, Arbitration Chambers Hong Kong

Taking the LL.M. at Peking University was one of the most important decisions I ever made in terms of my personal life and my career. While I had to give up full-time work for a year and invest time in writing my thesis, that investment it is already starting to pay huge dividends in terms of my practice as an international arbitrator. There are very few western trained lawyers with any genuine understanding of Chinese law, history and culture and by spending two years in China, I was fortunate enough to begin to gain an understanding of China's past and to learn about the development of law and the increasingly important role that law will play in shaping China’s future.

As an international arbitrator dealing mainly with Chinese related disputes, the LL.M. has been invaluable both in terms of providing me with a solid foundation in Chinese law, but also in developing a network of leading Chinese academics and practitioners that I can call upon to discuss issues of Chinese law when I need to.Besides the obvious academic benefits of the LL.M. program, spending time in Beijing provided me with the opportunity to learn more about China’s history, culture and its people. Trying to develop an understanding of Chinese law without the necessary context provided by these other fundamental aspects of Chinese society would be almost impossible. And such context can really only be understood and appreciated by spending time in China.To those of you considering doing the LL.M. at Peking University, I wholeheartedly recommend the course to you and wish you all much success in the future.

This program is open only to non-Chinese-nationals and permanent residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, under the age of 40 on the date of application. Applicants must (1) have a first law degree (J.D., LL.B. or the equivalent) from a law school, or (2) a Bachelor’s degree plus substantial law-related working experience.All applicants who are not native English speakers or who did not have a postsecondary education entirely conducted in English language must take the TOEFL or IELTS examination.The Program requires a minimum score of 90 in TOEFL IBT, or 6.5 in IELTS with 6.5 in IELTS writing.A health certificate is required before registration.Application MaterialsAn applicant should submit the following materials. All documents should be written in English or accompanied by a notarized English translation.(1) Peking University Application Form for International Students (Master and Ph.D. Programs), which must be filled and submitted online via the following link www.studyatpku.com. You should also print out a hard copy and stick your photo and send it to us by mail, together with other materials.(2) An official certificate of your highest education (For degrees to be expected upon application to this program, you should provide an official letter stating the expected graduation date) and higher education after secondary school; (3) Official transcripts of postsecondary school training (original);(4) Two letters of recommendation,at least one by your professor from the academy (e.g.: could have two from professors or one from a professor and the other from your boss or someone who knows you well, originals with letterhead paper and authentic signature); (5) A personal statement (about 800 words);(6) A Resume or CV (with coloured photo, stating your level of Chinese and may attach proof);(7) One photocopy of results of TOEFL or IELTS examination;and(8) One photocopy of valid passport (Passport type must be ordinary);(*None of the above application documents will be returned) English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5

Want to improve your English level for admission?
Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• Flexible study schedule
• Experienced teachers
• Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

Merit-based scholarships are available (ranging from thousands of RMB to that covering tuition plus stipend):

• Chinese Government Scholarship
• Beijing Government Scholarship
• PKU Law International Student Scholarship