<p>'<strong>This book provides a readable and clear account of the legal practices in the first three decades of the Republican era, which fills a gap in the legal history of China, and therefore much welcomed. Its archival research provides a new understanding of the period, by drawing attention to its process of assimilation of the traditional and Western legal systems.'</strong> â<em>Song-Chuan CHEN, Assistant Professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Technological University, Singapore</em></p><p>â<b>Michael Ng's important study of the legal institutions of early twentieth century Beijing makes a major contribution to our knowledge of the legal order of Republican China. At the same time, it illuminates the complex interactions between the late imperial tradition, surviving in unexpected ways, and the transplanted institutions of liberal legal modernity.</b>â â <i>Teemu Ruskola, Professor of Law, Emory University, U.S.A.</i></p>