CRI听力:National Constitution Day events promote legal awareness in China

A group of middle school students from Beijing have been given a tour of a youth court in the Chinese capital to teach them about the Chinese legal system.

"Welcome to the Dongcheng District Youth Court. The national emblem hanging up high signifies the national jurisdiction represented by the judge. The legal badge carved on the clerk's station represents the sanctity of our national laws."

Back in 2014, Chinese lawmakers designated December 4th as the country's National Constitution Day, in an attempt to promote legal awareness among the Chinese public.

Similar events like the one in Beijing have also taken place across the country ahead of this year's Constitution Day.

Han Dayuan, Dean of the School of Law at Renmin University, says activities like these are important so people can understand the rights they enjoy.

"Through these events, people can be taught to recognize the Constitution as the basic laws of China. When they encounter issues, they can refer to the principles listed in the Constitution to find ways to solve them. This can help bring the Constitution from being this abstract set of ideas to being understood and applicable to people's daily lives. "

China's first Constitution was drafted in 1954. Since then, another three separate versions have been enacted, each with notable differences reflecting the social and political development of the country at the time.

The current Constitution was enacted in 1982, at a time when China was in the midst of significant economic reforms. Since that time, the Constitution has been amended four times, most recently in 2004.

The 138 articles of the Constitution lay out China's political, legal, economic and social structures, as well as the fundamental rights and responsibilities of Chinese citizens.

According to legislation passed last year, all Chinese public servants need to swear an oath to the Constitution before they are allowed to take office.

Mo Jihong is a legal expert with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He says while the gesture may seem simple, it carries significant impact on China's governance.

"First, it helps to enhance the understanding that the Constitution offers the highest guiding legal principles. Second, it helps to strengthen a sense of responsibility among the public servants, allowing them to monitor their own behavior and judgment according to law. Finally, the witnesses at the ceremonies can help provide future supervision over the oath-takers."

But at the same time, legal experts acknowledge there is still room for improvement when it comes to the practical implementation of the rules in the Constitution.