The series of live open courses on the civil code, the first of its kind launched by the Open University of China (OUC) as part of its Quality Lectures by Famous Teachers series, ended on 30 June 2020.

The series of live open courses on the civil code, which aim to benefit public welfare and popularise law, were launched by the OUC throughout its entire organisation system as a response to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s call to “emphasise full recognition of the significance of the promulgation and implementation of the country's newly adopted Civil Code.” The courses are co-sponsored by the Faculty of Political Sciences and Law and the Learning Resources Department. Since the launch of the courses on 3 June, the OUC has invited a number of famous legal scholars to give lectures, including Professor Zhou Youjun, dean of the School of Law of Beihang University, Professor Wang Cheng from Peking University, Professor Zhai Jiguang from China University of Political Science and Law, Professor Ma Yinan, Professor Yin Tian, and Professor Xue Jun from Peking University, Professor Xue Shan, lecturer of OUC Faculty of Political Science and Law, and Associate Professor Ye Zhihong. The courses cover the following topics: The Institutional Development of the General Principles of the General Part of the Civil Code, The Successes and Failures of the Tort Liability Part of the Civil Code, Interpreting the Legal System of Contracts and Analysis of Typical Cases, New Developments in the Marriage and Family and Succession Part of the Civil Code, Analysis of Several Articles on the Real Rights Part of the Civil Code, Overall Interpretation of the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China, Interpretation of Important Content on Personality Rights, Protection of Personal Information in the Civil Code, and The Capacity for Civil Conduct of Natural People and the Guardianship System.

In addition to live streaming on the Huixuexi and OUC Cloud Classroom platforms, the series of live open courses on the civil code was also supported by many other media. The total number of viewers over six transmission channels across the whole OUC network reached 1.81 million. The maximum number of viewers in a single session exceeded 250,000. The news has been followed and reported by media such as People's Daily and Heilongjiang Daily. All branches and colleges of the OUC system actively organised for their teachers and students to watch and study the courses. Many of the students and teachers gave appreciative feedback, saying that the courses delivered law into their classrooms and popularised the law among the people. They also noted that the courses were very timely considering that law popularisation and teaching work have been affected by the COVID-19 epidemic.

The civil code, sometimes referred to as the encyclopedia of social life, is a true portrayal of a China economic and social development, and the embodiment of the country's national spirit and culture. On 28 May 2020, the third session of the 13th National People's Congress passed the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China, ushering in the "era of the civil code" in China.

By Xue Shan and Zhou Xian,OUC