Former Chief Justice presents thoughts on law in book

Readers with an interest in the law will be cheered by the arrival of a book by former Chief Justice Xiao Yang before the end of the month, the editor of the book said.

Nie Ying, the editor, told China Daily that the book has been finished and will be sold at bookstores and online.

It contains 635 pages and will cost 98 yuan ($15.45).

The book is a collection of 72 articles expressing the former Chief Justice's thoughts about the rule of law and about social justice.

Xiao was the Chief Justice of China from 1998 to 2008. Before that, he had worked as the deputy chief procurator for the Supreme People's Procuratorate and served as the Minister of Justice.

Following his retirement, Xiao has worked as an adjunct professor and part-time PhD tutor at Renmin University of China in Beijing, where he had studied law on his way to obtaining a bachelor's degree in the 1960s.

The book, published by the Law Press, brings together his published works from the past 26 years and is a record of how the rule of law has developed in the country.

Xiao says in the book establishing the rule of law is a basic means to successfully managing a country and that no one should ever stand above the law.

Xiao said he believes the law is the greatest of human inventions. Whereas other innovations have enabled human beings to manage nature, the law enables them to manage themselves, he said.

Tian Chuanfeng, Xiao's current doctoral student, said Xiao is not only a scholar who exhibits a rich store of knowledge and deep thoughts, but also has valuable experience in various law fields.

"He analyzes cases based on his practical experiences," Tian said. "It makes this thick law book fun."