Professor Clarkes book is a tour de force at two levels. Its precisely rendered detail makes it a superb reference work, while its shrewd, no-nonsense analyses of what Chinese law actually is and how it works make it ideal for teaching and for the non-specialist reader. -- Perry Link, Princeton University and University of California at Riverside, USA Donald Clarke provides a comprehensive look and provocative interpretation of the Chinese legal system, showing how it functions as part of the overall Chinese political system. Snapshots of key -- actors illuminate how the system functions at the grass roots. Hard-hitting and infused with a realistic human dimension, this book is highly recommended. Barry Naughton, University of California, San Diego, USA One of the Wests most distinguished and respected scholars of Chinese law, Donald Clarke draws on his years of experience to write a book that is a model of clarity in thought and expression. It succinctly explains how China's legal system works, dispensing with the easy clichés that often dominate. At a time when too many in our societies focus only on China's external role - its military, foreign policy, or economic impact - Clarke offers us a guide to the inside of this formidable machine. -- Ian Johnson, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, founder of the China Unofficial Archives In my Chinese law class, I require every student to engage seriously with the work of Don Clarke. You should do the same! As with all his scholarship, this new volume is enormously learned, deeply insightful, thoroughly original, and wonderfully provocative. Agree or disagree, you will be much better for reading it. -- William P. Alford, Harvard Law School, USA
