2016年CRI National Constitution Day events promote legal awareness in China

 

A group of middle school students from Beijing have been given a tour of a youth court in the Chinese capital to teach them about the Chinese legal system.

"Welcome to the Dongcheng District Youth Court. The national emblem¹ hanging up high signifies the national jurisdiction² represented by the judge. The legal badge carved on the clerk's station represents the sanctity of our national laws."

Back in 2014, Chinese lawmakers designated December 4th as the country's National Constitution Day, in an attempt to promote legal awareness³ among the Chinese public.

Similar events like the one in Beijing have also taken place across the country ahead of this year's Constitution Day.

Han Dayuan, Dean of the School of Law at Renmin University, says activities like these are important so people can understand the rights they enjoy.

"Through these events, people can be taught to recognize the Constitution as the basic laws of China. When they encounter issues, they can refer to the principles listed in the Constitution to find ways to solve them. This can help bring the Constitution from being this abstract set of ideas to being understood and applicable to people's daily lives. "

China's first Constitution was drafted in 1954. Since then, another three separate versions have been enacted⁴, each with notable differences reflecting the social and political development of the country at the time.

The current Constitution was enacted in 1982, at a time when China was in the midst of significant economic reforms. Since that time, the Constitution has been amended⁵ four times, most recently in 2004.

The 138 articles of the Constitution lay out China's political, legal, economic and social structures, as well as the fundamental rights and responsibilities of Chinese citizens.

According to legislation passed last year, all Chinese public servants need to swear an oath to the Constitution before they are allowed to take office.

Mo Jihong is a legal expert with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He says while the gesture may seem simple, it carries significant impact on China's governance.

"First, it helps to enhance the understanding that the Constitution offers the highest guiding legal principles. Second, it helps to strengthen a sense of responsibility among the public servants, allowing them to monitor their own behavior and judgment⁶ according to law. Finally, the witnesses at the ceremonies can help provide future supervision⁷ over the oath-takers."

But at the same time, legal experts acknowledge there is still room for improvement when it comes to the practical implementation⁸ of the rules in the Constitution.

1 emblem   

n.象征，标志；徽章

参考例句：

• Her shirt has the company emblem on it.她的衬衫印有公司的标记。
• The eagle was an emblem of strength and courage.鹰是力量和勇气的象征。

2 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

3 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

4 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

5 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

6 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

7 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

8 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。