Compare Chinese law and African laws Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Compare Chinese law and African laws - Essay Example However, there are those who believe that such marked similarities in terms of laws and norms are not only a product of contacts between races. Their argument is that there is a kind of universal bond borne out of humankind’s common understanding of what is right or wrong, which makes rewards and retributions a common scenario. I am inclined to take the side of those who feel that a universal understanding of what is right or wrong is behind the spirit of the laws that governs the human society. To illustrate this point, let us take into considerations the Chinese and the African setting, taking into specific considerations the origin and foundations of such laws. China and Africa are almost at the opposing poles if we talk about cultures, civilizations and the evolution of their legal systems. Since time immemorial, Chinese have been known as traders traversing the high seas to trade goods. In the olden times, Chinese dynasties were known to be one of the most organized structures of government and have codified their laws as early as the 221 BC (Gray. Gregor. 1878) By contrast, Africa was a mystery to the rest of the world up until now and most of its laws are still unwritten to this day. Unlike China where the codes are easy accessible to those who would care to read them, African laws, owing to its unwritten nature, are not readily accessible by outsiders. In order to gain knowledge of African law, one must closely observe and learn from experiential accounts of its subjects. However, what is interesting to note is that even though one laws is already codified and the other unwritten, by looking into the origins and the spirits of the law s of these countries, there are similarities in them that is worth looking into. By taking a closer look into the very foundations of these laws, one will find that both are more or less built on similar foundations. Studies conduct on Chinese and African laws noted that both laws are essentially based