The Chinese Dream and Law

The Third Surge of Utopianism, 2012–2024

Shiping Hua (University of Louisville)

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English

State University of New York Press
01 August 2025

Asian history; Social & political philosophy; Marxism & Communism; Nationalism; Legal history

Analyzes the major laws promulgated during the Xi Jinping era against a background of the politics and ideology of the Xi regime in general.

The Chinese Dream and Law study situates the Chinese Dream in the modern utopianism discourse since the Late Qing, following Kang Youwei and Mao Zedong. As a tool to promote the Chinese Dream, the legal reforms during the period depart from the ""thin constitutionalism"" of the first three decades of the post-Mao era and resemble aspects of Legalism. Although the current regime has made some progress in protecting people's socioeconomic rights through law, it has retreated on upholding judicial independence to protect people's civil and political rights, especially those vis-à-vis the state. The first three decades since post-Mao reform are an aberration that deviates from the normal trajectory of modern Chinese political development. The decade-long efforts by the current regime have slowed the growing official corruption and have slightly narrowed the growing income gap, although economic growth was cut in half. The Chinese style of utopianism could mean a ""better place""—as in the country's ancient past. It could also become a ""no place"" in the modern diverse world because this human hope that has a universal claim is often built on authoritarian means.

By: Shiping Hua (University of Louisville)
Imprint: State University of New York Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9798855803525
Pages: 308
Publication Date: 01 August 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Shiping Hua is Calvin and Helen Lang Distinguished Chair in Asian Studies, Director of the Asian Studies Program, and Professor of Political Science at the University of Louisville. He is the author of several books, including Scientism and Humanism: Two Cultures in Post-Mao China (1978–1989), also by SUNY Press.

Reviews for The Chinese Dream and Law: The Third Surge of Utopianism, 2012–2024

""Hua explores Xi Jinping's attitude toward law and explains why Xi became increasingly assertive in imposing stringent laws on anyone against him. This timely work sheds new light on this complicated but very important topic."" — Xiaobing Li, University of Central Oklahoma