Brief Introduction

Founded in 1950 and located in Beijing, Renmin University of China (RUC) remains best known for excellence in the humanities and social sciences. Renmin Law School stands as one of RUC's most acclaimed schools. The current Dean of the Law School is Professor YANG Dong.

After its founding in 1950, Renmin Law School became the first institution of higher legal education in the People's Republic of China and,as such, is dubbed as the "cradle" nurturing China,s most outstanding jurists. Leading the Law School,s list of many honors, Renmin Law School got the National May First Labor Merit Award in the 1998, which was the first such award granted by the Ministry of Education to an institution of higher education.

Renmin Law School inherited the vaunted tradition of the former Chaoyang University when the two schools merged shortly after the founding of the PRC. Established in 1912, Chaoyang University became so synonymous with legal practice in China that the saying went, "no Chaoyang, no courts".

Chaoyang University,s legacy of producing nationally recognized jurists endures in the Renmin Law School of today where students and faculty continue to lead the development of China,s legal system. Since 1950, more than 20,000 students have graduated from Renmin Law School, while more than 300,000 jurists have received training from the Law School as continuing education students, judges, procurators, lawyers, university faculty members, and civil servants. A significant number of alumni have become leaders in advancing China's rule of law as government officials, judges, academics, public interest and corporate lawyers.

Renmin Law School boasts one national key first-level discipline (Law), four national key second-level disciplines, one undergraduate program (Law), and one master's program in law. It was among the first institutions granted the authority to confer doctoral degrees in the field of law, with doctoral and master's programs covering all second-level disciplines, and it established the country's first postdoctoral research station in law. Over the years, the School has produced over 20,000 graduates since 1950 and trained more than 300,000 professionals, including judges, prosecutors, lawyers, university teachers, and civil servants, with notable alumni such as Chief Justice Xiao Yang and Chief Procurator Zhang Jun. As of now, there are over 2,200 registered students, with graduate students forming the majority and undergraduates making up about a quarter.

Renmin Law School hosts 70 research centers (institutes), including the Research Center for Civil and Commercial Law Sciences and the Research Center for Criminal Law Sciences, both designated as MOE Key Research Bases for Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as national human rights education and training bases and international legal research bases. It also houses the Future Law Institute, Intellectual Property Academy, Law School for Lawyers, Asia-Pacific Legal Studies Institute, Food Safety Governance Collaborative Innovation Center, International Commercial Dispute Prevention and Resolution Institute, and Urban Governance Research Institute, among others. Additionally, it has been entrusted with 10 research bases by central government bodies like the Office for Promoting the Rule of Law, Supreme People's Court, Supreme People's Procuratorate, and State Administration for Market Regulation, and it operates a comprehensive legal experimental and practical teaching center under the "985 Project."

The faculty is distinguished and includes many senior legal scholars renowned domestically and internationally, alongside a large number of influential mid-career and young legal scholars. By April 2024, the School had 98 full-time teachers, including 59 professors and 33 associate professors. Professor Mingxuan Gao, representing the legal community, received the title of "People's Educator" and the honor of "Most Beautiful Striver"; Professor Chongde Xu, as the sole representative of the legal community in higher education, was honored with the title of "Pioneer of Reform" and is celebrated as a proactive promoter of the legal system with Chinese characteristics. Thirty-seven experts have been appointed as chief experts or major members of the "Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project" team, the highest number among all law schools in China; sixteen have delivered lectures at the Central Politburo study sessions or NPC Standing Committee legal seminars; seventeen have been named Distinguished Professors or Young Scholars under the Ministry of Education's Changjiang Scholars Program, and nine have won the title of "Top Ten Outstanding Young Legal Scholars" by the China Law Society. Two UNESCO Chairs in legal studies based in China are located at this School.

Renmin Law School plays a vital role as a "think tank" and "brain trust" for national legal construction, participating in the drafting and revision of significant laws since the founding of New China and almost all important legislation since the reform and opening-up, notably contributing to major legislative projects such as the compilation of the Civil Code, providing theoretical support and intellectual resources for promoting the rule of law across the board.

Renmin Law School actively broadens its international exchanges and cooperation with foreign law schools, establishing platforms such as the Forum of Deans of World's Top 100 Law Schools, Sino-U.S. Law School Deans' Forum, Sino-European Law School Deans' Roundtable, Asian Law School Deans' Forum, Sino-Australian Law School Deans' Forum, Sino-African Law School Deans' Forum, and China-Latin America Rule of Law Dialogue, contributing to the international exchange and cooperation in legal education.