7. Codification of Chinese Law
The Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) established one of China’s earliest written legal codes, systematizing criminal and civil law. This code, compiled by Chancellor Xiao He, was a massive work consisting of 26,272 articles and 7,732,200 words, outlining various offenses and corresponding punishments. Many current Chinese legal concepts and principles are rooted in this early legal tradition. Details here.
