This course explains the law of China, not US law. Rules that look the same elsewhere may be different. This covers Mainland China. Hong Kong and Macao have separate legal systems, and Taiwan is outside this collection.
Course · Law by country · China
Chinese Law for Foreigners
The law of Mainland China for the people who deal with it: the legal system, government and courts, visas and residence, business and investment, work and daily life, property and family, intellectual property, data and disputes, and criminal law and legal risk.
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China is the world’s second-largest economy, a destination for millions of visitors, students, workers and investors, and a legal system that most foreigners meet with very little warning. It is a codified, civil-law-style system, built on very old foundations and rebuilt since 1978, led by the Communist Party and applied by ministries, local governments, courts, procuratorates and arbitration bodies. This course gives a complete first map for the people who deal with it, and it takes the view of the foreigner. It starts with the history, the sources of law and the hierarchy of norms; then government, the courts and administrative law; then entering and staying in China; then business and investment; then work, tax, schools, healthcare and daily life; then property, marriage, divorce and inheritance; then intellectual property, data and the resolution of disputes; and finally criminal law, national security, exit bans and the management of legal risk. It covers Mainland China only: Hong Kong and Macao have their own legal systems, and Taiwan is outside its scope. It uses invented people and businesses, and three working tools.
The Curriculum
Foundations of the Chinese legal system: history, sources, the Constitution, the hierarchy of norms, the Party and the courts, and where foreigners stand→
History, sources, the Constitution, the hierarchy of norms, the Party and the courts, and the position of foreigners. Practice: Which Source, Which Rule Prevails and Spot the Mistake.
Government, courts and administrative law: the National People’s Congress, the State Council, local government, the People’s Courts, the procuratorates and remedies against officials→
The NPC, the State Council, local government, the courts, the procuratorates and administrative remedies. Practice: Which Institution, Which Court or Remedy and Spot the Mistake.
Entering, visiting and staying in China: visas, registration, residence permits, permanent residence, work, study and immigration violations→
Visas, registration, residence permits, permanent residence, work, study and violations. Practice: Which Visa, Which Step and Spot the Mistake.
Doing business and investing in China: the Foreign Investment Law, company forms, registration, contracts, trade, tax, foreign exchange and debt recovery→
The investment framework, entity forms, registration, contracts, trade, tax, foreign exchange and debt recovery. Practice: Which Entity, Which Step and Spot the Mistake.
Employment, study and everyday life: employment contracts, dismissal, social insurance, personal income tax, education, healthcare, consumer rights and digital life→
Employment contracts, dismissal, social insurance, personal tax, schools, healthcare, consumer rights and digital life. Practice: Which Rule, Which Remedy and Spot the Mistake.
Property, family and succession: land-use rights, buying and renting, marriage, divorce, children and inheritance involving foreigners→
Land-use rights, buying and renting, marriage, divorce, children and inheritance. Practice: Which Rule, Which Law Applies and Spot the Mistake.
Intellectual property, data and dispute resolution: trade marks, patents, personal information, cybersecurity, courts, arbitration, enforcement and contracts with Chinese parties→
Trade marks, patents, copyright, trade secrets, personal data, cybersecurity, courts, arbitration, enforcement and international contracts. Practice: Which Right, Which Forum and Spot the Mistake.
Criminal law, security and legal risk: offences, police powers, detention, national security, exit bans and managing risk as a foreigner→
Offences, police powers, detention, trial, national security, state secrets, exit bans and risk management. Practice: Which Measure, Which Step and Spot the Mistake.
Capstone: Capstone: Marta Lindqvist and the Shenzhen homeware studio→
A homeware studio in Shenzhen, a visa, an entity, a supplier clause, a squatted brand, a dismissal and a data transfer. Choose the visa, the form, the forum, the remedy and the mechanism.
What It Covers
“You will be able to say, for any problem you may have in Mainland China, which rule applies, which authority or forum decides it, which time limit runs and when you need a Chinese-qualified lawyer.”
- Written for the foreigner: it follows the questions a visitor, resident, employee, family or investor actually has (the visa, the permit, the company, the contract, the lease, the dismissal, the data, the dispute) and says plainly when a Chinese-qualified lawyer is needed.
- Teaches the structure behind the rules, so that a student who knows how the Constitution, the hierarchy of norms, the courts and the regulators fit together can read any new rule, and compare Chinese law with other civil-law systems.
- Three tools with invented facts: a Visa and Status Finder, an Entity Chooser and a Dispute Forum Finder, each showing how the answer changes when a fact does.
- Honest about limits: it teaches durable provisions, flags where rules change quickly (visa-free lists, thresholds, data transfer mechanisms) and does not state changing figures. It is general education, not advice, and it explains the risks without exaggeration or alarm.
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Or give this as a giftOther Scrolls in This Chamber
Across the Table$15 →Interests, walk-away numbers, offers, trades, pressure tactics and professional limits, with practice rooms and calculators.
Cooling the Room$15 →How conflict escalates, mapping a dispute, de-escalation, hard conversations, choosing a process, mediation, power, culture and ethics, with practice mediations.
The Client Conversation$15 →Trust, the first meeting, fees and scope, updates in plain words, advice and decisions, bad news, boundaries and ethics, with practice meetings.Module 1 is free to try. Sign in, pass each module quiz and the course average, and your Certificate of Completion is emailed to you automatically. This course teaches method and technique with invented people and figures; it is general education, not legal advice, and professional rules differ from country to country.
Common questions
- Does this course cover Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan?
- No. It covers the law of Mainland China. Hong Kong and Macao have separate legal systems under their Basic Laws, and Taiwan is outside its scope.
- Is it for people who want to practise Chinese law?
- No. It is a first course for the people who deal with Chinese law: visitors, residents, students, employees, families, investors and their advisers. Only a Chinese-qualified lawyer can give opinions on Chinese law, and the course says when you need one.
- Does it give the current rule on every point?
- It teaches the provisions that have lasted. Visa-free lists, thresholds, fees, local restrictions and the details of the data and foreign exchange rules change, so check the current rule of the authority for any real matter.
- Are the tools real data?
- No. The tools apply well-known rules in simplified form to invented facts. They show the structure of the answer and cannot decide a case.
- Is it political?
- No. It explains how the system works, including the role of the Party and the courts, as a matter of the law and its practice, in neutral terms and for the purpose of understanding obligations and risks.
- How do I get the Certificate of Completion?
- Sign in, pass each module quiz and keep a course average of at least 75. The certificate is then issued and emailed to you automatically.
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