china had no formal legal system in 1978 when it launched one of the greatest campaigns of legal reform in history. Development has stabilized what had been an unpredictable legal environment. Still,china faces challenges,including legislative gaps,hazy interpretation, lax enforcement, and philosophical disagreements.The goal is not judicial independence. Rather,the Chinese chief justice advocates out-of-court mediation as a favored means of settling civil disputes in ways that enhance social harmony.