沈伟教授最新英文著作Chinese Business Law - Narrative and Commentary(《中国商法——叙事和评论》),近日由国际出版社Wolters Kluwer出版。全书共13章,1007页。
美国芝加哥大学suncitygroup太阳集团Omri Ben-Shahar教授撰写了前言,向读者热情地介绍了这本英文著作。
In Chinese Business Law - Narrative and Commentary, Shen Wei has opened and deciphered the black box in which, for me, Chinese Law was previously locked. How ofen have I tried in the past to learn what Chinese Law has to say on specific issues, and how frustrating and difficult it was to find a reliable source for the answers! Now, prominently placed on my office“comparative law” shelf, there lies the ultimate source, with answers and explanations, for all major legal rules governing commercial activity in China.
在《中国商法——叙事和评论》一书中,沈伟教授为我开启和破译了曾经锁住的中国法律黑匣子。过去,我曾经很多次试着去了解中国法律对特定问题的规定,但是发现寻找答案的可靠来源是一件令人沮丧和困难的事情!现在,在我办公室“比较法”书架的显著位置上摆放着中国规制商事活动的所有重要法律规则的主要来源,并且包含了答案和解释。
Chinese Business Law - Narrative and Commentary is a monumental achievement. Comprehensive but thoroughly organized, it walks you through every aspect of law relating to market transactions. It is the companion handbook for any foreign lawyer (and surely for many Chinese lawyers) interested in understanding Chinese private and civil law, as well as the regulation of markets.
《中国商法——叙事和评论》这部著作是一个重要的成就。该书不但内容全面而且组织严密,能够使你了解市场交易的每一个方面的法律。它是每一位有兴趣了解中国民法、私法以及市场规制法的外国律师(当然也包括许多中国律师)的助手指南。
An immensely productive scholar and an intellectual leader among his generation of legal academics, Shen Wei succeeded in producing an encyclopedic compilation of Chinese law, yet organizing it in a logical and linear floe, inviting two types of readers-those interested in snippets of Chinese law, as well as those looking for a systematic understanding of the full landscape. You want to know generally about remedies for breach of contract? Chapter 2 and 3 will give you highly accessible answers. You want more specific information about defective food products? Turn to Chapter 4. Shareholders rights in corporations?In Chapter 7. The field covered by the book stretch from traditional private law (contracts, torts, and property), to consumer transactions, corporate law, securities regulation, labor and employment law, and even civil procedures covering these business law areas. Each chapter both impressively thorough but sufficiently concise to depict the roadmap for further study of more detailed rules.
作为一位极为高产的学者以及他这一代法学学者中聪慧的领军人物,作者成功地创作了一部中国法律百科全书式的著作,将广博的知识以富有逻辑的线性流方式组织起来。这本著作可以吸引两类读者,一类是对中国法律的片段感兴趣的读者,另一类是寻求对中国法律的全貌有系统性认知的读者。你想要概括地了解违约行为的救济吗?第2章和第3章将给你通俗易懂的答案。你想要得到更多关于有缺陷食用产品的规定吗?那么请翻到第4章。有关公司股东权益的内容在第7章。这本书涵盖的领域从传统的私法(诸如合同、侵权行为和财产),扩展到消费者交易、公司法、证券规制、劳动和雇佣法律,甚至是贯穿这些商法领域的民事程序。每一章既言甚详明,又简明扼要地描述了进一步研究更为详细的规则所需要的路标。
Chinese Business Law - Narrative and Commentary is not merely a treatise describing the contours of the law. It is also a thoughtful academic commentary. Shen Wei is able to explain the policies underlying the laws and regulations. The various influences on Chinese law are shown to be working in concert, but each is identified with precision and coherence. The reader sees the influences of European civil law traditions, of Chinese Confucian principles, of twentieth century political transformations, of central planning, and even of American regulatory and common law traditions.
《中国商法——叙事和评论》不仅是一部描述法律框架的专著,而且是一部发人深省的学术评注。这本著作精妙地解释了法律和规则背后的政策。事实证明众多影响因素对中国法律发挥着协同作用,但是每一项因素都可以通过精确性和连贯性得以确认。读者们可以看到欧洲民法传统的影响、中国儒家思想的影响、二十世纪政治变革的影响、中央计划的影响、甚至是美国的监管和普通法系传统的影响。
As China transform into a market economy-what Ronald Coase viewed as its emergence as a capitalist system-two primary influences continue to pull in different directions. The first influence is the demand for business-ready and pro-growth legal platforms. Private property rights need to be protected, contracts have to be enforced, corporations have to form and raise capital, and courts have to be accessible and neutral. The second influence is the continued centralized control of market transactions by government agencies. Private property rights are limited, contracts have to be approved, corporate management is subject to state intervention, and courts are inexperienced and often partial. Shen Wei exposes both influences, demonstrating a fascinating patchwork of rules and practices-law in the text and law in context.
随着中国市场经济的转型——罗纳德•科斯将其视为一种资本系统的出现,两种主要的影响因素继续将中国法律向不同方向拉动。第一个影响因素是商业需求——完备的且有利于商业发展的法律平台。私人财产权需要得到保护,合同必须被强制履行,公司一定要依法设立和融资,法院必须是可诉诸的和中立的。第二个影响因素是政府机构对于市场交易持续的集中控制。私人财产权要受到限制,合同必须获得批准,公司管理受国家干预的支配,法院缺乏经验并且常常欠缺中立性。作者揭示了这两种影响因素,展示了一种引人入胜的规则和实践的混合物——文本中的法律和实践中的法律。
This book is surely to enlighten a host of comparative legal studies. Due to mixed “DNA”, Chinese law is often sui generis, widely different than that of either civil law or common law countries. In addition, Chinese law has been going through major transformations and reforms, documented and explained in the book, which further expand a comparative angle. No matter what area of law and which legal tradition you specialize in, Chinese law will offer you new and surprising perspectives, enriching the comparative inquiry of law.
这本著作一定会启发大量的比较法研究。由于拥有混合“基因”,中国法律通常是自成一格的,无论与大陆法系国家还是英美法系国家的法律都截然不同。此外,正如本书描述和解释的那样,中国法律正在经历着重大的转型和改革,这进一步扩展了一个比较的视角。无论你专门研究法律的什么领域、哪一种法律传统,中国法律都会为你提供崭新而且惊人的视角,从而丰富法律的比较研究。
Personally, I have met Shen Wei early when he studied in the United States and later, as a young scholar, in international conferences that applied the tools of law and economics to Chinese law. He hosted me in Shanghai and I had the pleasure of hosting him in Chicago. In every encounter, I witnessed his immense curiosity and his relentless productivity. This book is now the definitive expression of Shen Wei’s intellectual footprint. It leaves the reader with a sense of mastery of many areas of the law, understanding them with great nuance and detail, and penetrating into each of these areas with a rich analytical toolkit. It is an important milestone in the study of Chinese business law.
私下里,我早在沈伟在美国学习时就遇见了他,后来在一个把法学和经济学的方法论应用于中国法律的国际会议上又遇见了作为年轻学者的他。他在上海热情招待了我,我也很荣幸有机会在芝加哥接待他。每一次见面我都见证了他强烈的好奇心和源源不断的创造力。这本著作是作者智慧足迹最全面和最权威的展现。这本著作使读者能够对众多法学领域了然于胸,从细枝末节处进行理解,把丰富的分析方法渗透到这些领域。这本著作是中国商法研究领域一个重要的里程碑。
Omri Ben-Shahar
Chicago, Illinois
奥姆雷•本•沙哈尔
芝加哥,伊利诺州
稿件:康鑫