Dissemination of Rituals and Laws

An important component of the ancient Chinese culture, the Chinese legal system evolved alongside political, economic, and cultural changes and stood out due to its uniqueness. With the mutual influence and fusion of the Confucian moral values and code and laws of the state over several hundred years, the system of rituals and laws unique to ancient China took hold in the Qin and Han dynasties. During Sui-Tang China, foreign envoys introduced China's rituals and laws to their country. When explaining China's specifics, history, and culture to Western society, missionaries that visited China during the Ming and Qing dynasties highlighted the system of rituals and laws that they perceived as a good form of government upon returning to Europe in the Age of Enlightenment. The Chinese system of rituals and laws was widely discussed and praised by Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire, Leibniz, Montesquieu, and Quesnay. All this culminated in the phenomenal Chinoiserie. The spread of the ancient Chinese system of rituals and laws provided reference for Asian and European states to establish a more reasonable and sound political system.

禮法制度傳播

作為中國古代文化的重要組成部分，法律制度伴隨著中國政治、經濟、文化的演進而不斷發展，形成了獨特風格。經過儒家倫理道德觀念與國家法律長達數百年的相互滲透和融合，秦漢時期形成了中國古代特有的禮法傳統。隋唐時期，各國使節將中國的禮法制度引介到本國。明清時期，來華的傳教士在向西方社會介紹中國的國情、歷史、文化的同時，也重點引介了中國的禮法制度，為啟蒙時代的歐洲展示了一個理想型的政府。伏爾泰、萊布尼茨、孟德斯鳩、魁奈等啟蒙思想家廣泛討論并贊賞中國的禮法制度，興起了“歐洲中國熱”的歷史現象。中國古代禮法制度的傳播為亞歐國家建立更加合理完善的政治制度提供了參照與借鑒。