Legal Reform in China: Technology, Transparency, and Enculturation

In China, the diffusion of communication technologies is extensive, as evidenced by the country’s information-technological infrastructure and the accessibility and usage of the Internet, Weibo, WeChat, and short-video hosting services. China’s recent wave of legal reform is the mandate of judicial transparency in terms of adjudicatory process, court trials, adjudicatory documents, and enforcement information. The “rule of law” entails not only an effective legal system but also the legal consciousness of the populace. How the populace appreciates the legitimacy of law and, thus, employs it to protect rights and resolve disputes are essential to the optimal functioning of all legal rules and institutions. Legal enculturation will result in legally conscious individuals who act in accordance with the law. Given that the diffusion of communication technologies in China has been rapid and widespread, this article discusses how communication technology can facilitate both judicial transparency and legal enculturation in China.