Author: Han CHEN

As a prelude to the civil code of the People's Republic of China, the General Provisions of the Civil

Law of the People's Republic of China (the “General Provisions”) was adopted with votes at the

Fifth Session of the 12th National People's Congress on March 15, 2017 and will enter into force on

October 1, 2017. This marks an important first step of China on its path to compiling a civil code.