Translator’s Introduction to Liu Songshan, <em>1981: Embryonic but Inchoate Designs for a Constitutional Committee</em>

Abstract

As Professor Liu Songshan of the East China University of Politics and Law explains in his article 1981: Embryonic but Inchoate Designs for a Constitutional Committee, proposals for a constitutional committee have a long history in China's reform era. In 1982, China's leaders revised the PRC Constitution as a foundational step in their effort to modernize the country and construct a socialist legal system. During the revision drafting process from late 1980 to 1982, the Secretariat of the PRC Committee on Constitutional Revision debated a range of constitutional reforms, including the creation of a specialized constitutional supervision organ. Professor Liu's article offers one of the most comprehensive accounts to date of this key discussion on constitutional supervision at the dawn of the reform era. This paper provides an introduction to Professor Liu's article and discusses its relevance to current Chinese debates over constitutional supervision. The translation of Professor Liu's article is also attached.