Constructing the Chinese self-independent knowledge system of legal science is a great project to adapt Marxist legal science to the Chinese context and the needs of our times in the new era, a profound revolution in the field of legal science, a precursor and foundation for constructing a system of legal science with Chinese characteristics, an urgent need to train high-quality legal talents with both virtues and talents, and an inevitable requirement for promoting the Chinese path to the modernization of the rule of law. To carry out such a systematic project, it is imperative to focus on the seven basic principles and scientific methods that include adhering to the ideological guidance of XI Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law. The theory of the system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, which is the cornerstone for the development of the Chinese self-independent knowledge system of legal science, has provided a necessary and much-needed theoretical paradigm for the development of the Chinese self independent knowledge system of legal science, has led to the innovative development of legal theory with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and will continue to do it.
The report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) pointed out that problems are the voice of the times, and answering the problems and guiding the solutions are the fundamental tasks of theories. To continually promote theoretical innovation on the basis of practice and to write a new chapter on adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, it is necessary to persist in problem orientation. Therefore, it is a requirement for the implementation of the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the CPC to engage in intellectual inquiry with respect to meta-jurisprudence, and, based on that, pursue the target of building an academic system of legal science with Chinese characteristics. There are two main types of problems in meta-jurisprudence. The first is ideological resources, which asks what kinds of ideas shape the direction, foresight, and preferences of legal scholars. The second is the analytic framework, which asks how to tell the different kinds of legal issues apart, finish building the system, choose the best ways to argue, and make strong arguments. Only by starting from the problems of meta-jurisprudence and adhering to the guidance of XI Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, by combining China's specific rule-of-law practice with fine traditional Chinese legal culture, and by learning from international experience, can the mission of building an academic system of legal science with Chinese characteristics be achieved.
The Communist Party of China has attached great importance to legal education, made arduous explorations in the practice of advancing the Chinese revolution, development, and reform, and blazed a road of modernization and development of Chinese legal education. The socialist legal education system with Chinese characteristics develops on the basis of completely negating and profoundly criticizing the old legal education system, and establishing a new legal education system guided by the Marxist view of state and law; it is created and develops on the basis of learning from the Soviet Union model, in combination with China's specific conditions and independent exploration; and it is constantly improved and develops under the new historical conditions of reform and opening up and socialist modernization drive, and on the basis of meeting the needs of perfecting socialist democracy and strengthening socialist legal systems, and profoundly summarizing the positive and negative experience of socialist legal construction in China. The legal education with Chinese characteristics in the new era is guided by XI Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, based on the integration of the original aspirations and the views from the outside, through continuous innovation and development in implementing new ideas and establishing new patterns, offers a powerful talent guarantee and a theoretical support to promote the development of the rule of law in China, provides a strong impetus to transform a country rich in legal education resources into a country strong in legal education, and lays a solid foundation of the rule of law for promoting the development of a human community with a shared future and the creation of a new form of human advancement.
Innovative development of the legal theory research system requires strengthening research on the basic theory of law. Promoting research on the basic principles of Marxist jurisprudence is the fundamental premise for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. XI Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law is the fundamental criterion for the innovative development of the basic theory of law of contemporary China in the new era, and the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times is the essential requirement for the innovative breakthrough of the basic theory of law of contemporary China.
Academic evaluation is the baton and wind vane for academic development, and the establishment of a scientific and authoritative evaluation system is crucial to establishing a robust academic research ecology. To purify the academic atmosphere, cultivate the academic ecology, and promote academic innovation, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Strengthening Legal Education and Legal Theoretical Research in the New Era. It put forward precise requirements and made specific deployments to improve the scientific research assessment and evaluation system, which pointed out the direction for reforming the academic evaluation system in legal studies. It is necessary to grasp the historical trend, take the initiative to seek changes, shoulder our responsibility, address pain points and difficulties in the academic research evaluation system in an innovative way, and build an academic evaluation system and academic evaluation institutions in line with the characteristics of the discipline of law and the needs of the times, thereby promoting the prosperous development of legal studies.
Legal research methods refer to a general term for disciplined and systematic procedures, approaches, means, techniques, and models used by researchers to acquire novel and reliable legal knowledge. Several theoretical debates on the originality of legal research methods go on as follows: Is one legal research method superior to another? Do legal research methods aim for methodological independence? Are legal research methods objective or subjective? Influenced by scientism, positivism is usually considered to be the only reasonable research method, but since law is different from science, only using positivist research approaches is insufficient for solving legal problems. Strictly speaking, a method that is appropriate for the research subject is a reasonable method. As one of the humanities and social sciences, law has similarities with other disciplines in terms of the scope of research; therefore, its research methods could be borrowed from other disciplines. However, law cannot ignore the development of its own unique research methods while retaining its advantages. Legal research methods are supposed to be objective because they should follow scientific standards and have objective arguments, but inevitably, legal research would be subjective and full of value judgments since it means subjective and creative activities of researchers. Of course, the choice of values should preferably be made in the context of value-freeness to ensure the organic combination of value-freeness and value judgment.