Futile Eastward Advance of American Law / Jedidiah J. Kroncke

From a macro-historical perspective, this book systematically traces the threads of legal exchange between China and the United States since the 19th century. It focuses on how American lawyers—missionaries who, while spreading the gospel, consciously promoted American legal experiences and institutional frameworks. Their intention was to steer the direction of China's modern legal reform, but they ultimately returned without success. The book intertwines the historical contexts of religion, law, and foreign policy between China and the United States. Beginning with the Founding Fathers' deep study and admiration for Chinese law, it analyzes how America gradually departed from its founding spirit of legal cosmopolitanism, ultimately forming a paradoxical culture that both disregards foreign legal traditions and yearns to export American law globally with a sense of saviorism. More profound still, as comparative law, which once held a central position in early American political and legal reform, became increasingly marginalized, the cosmopolitan vitality that flourished at the nation's founding gradually became a lost virtue. This very situation poses a significant challenge to contemporary American legal culture and its capacity for legal innovation in an increasingly multipolar and competitive 21st century. Full Title: Futile Eastward Advance of American Law Author: Jedidiah J. Kroncke ISBN: 978-988-237-361-7 Binding: Paperback Language: Traditional Chinese Pages: 456 Dimensions: 229 x 152 mm **About the Author** **Jedidiah J. Kroncke** Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on international legal history and comparative studies of labor and property systems. His interdisciplinary work integrates legal practices from the United States, China, and Brazil, aiming to promote localized innovation in comparative legal analysis. **Translators** **Yu Qingsheng**, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Law, Henan Normal University. **Wei Laijie**, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, Xiamen University. **Endorsements** American legal professionals who promoted the rule of law in China did indeed play a positive role within a certain scope in China's institutional changes, particularly in areas such as the improvement of intellectual property law, judicial reform, and human rights protection. However, a condescending evangelizing stance conversely bred cultural friction and even conflict. The success of social development ultimately depends on the operation of internal mechanisms, and sustained international cooperation inevitably requires mutual understanding and equal dialogue. Amidst the frequent scenarios of confrontation between China and the United States, reviewing history and drawing lessons may still serve as a form of damage control. The publication of this masterwork, rich in critical rationality and reflective awareness, is indeed timely. —**Ji Weidong**, Professor, KoGuan Law School, Shanghai Jiao Tong University A superb work that profoundly analyzes the history and reality of American legal exports. Through an interdisciplinary perspective, this book delves into the process by which American legal scholars attempted to transplant American law into China, revealing the motivations, processes, and roots of their failure. The author advocates for a comparative legal mindset characterized by openness and humility, removing obstacles to mutual understanding and learning between China and the United States, ultimately benefiting the peoples of both nations and the world. —**Liang Zhiping**, Distinguished Professor, Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies and Kuang-hua Law School, Zhejiang University This book begins by exploring how American Founding Fathers were keen on drawing lessons from China's models of social and political organization, and concludes by analyzing contemporary American legal imperialism under the guise of development and democracy. This work chronicles the rise and fall of American legal cosmopolitanism, offering both grounds for optimism and reasons for pessimism. For those concerned with the history and future of Sino-American relations, it is a must-read. —**Teemu Ruskola**, Professor of Law and Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School This book extends beyond traditional discussions of legal enactment and practice, offering multidimensional observations on legal education, dissemination, and ideology. In today's world of deepening global changes and fluctuating Sino-American relations, the insights from this book will far exceed the legal domain. Its revelation of the significant meaning of humility and introspection in promoting historical development is deeply thought-provoking. —**Wang Zhiqiang**, Professor, Fudan University Law School This book powerfully examines the notion of viewing American law as a universal model for legal reform, deeply analyzing the American/Western-centric perspectives and cross-cultural political considerations behind legal export movements, and revealing the profound consequences of neglecting indigenous cultures and legal traditions. Not only does this book provide extremely valuable new materials and perspectives for comparative law and legal history research, but it is also expected to further promote critical academic reflection and important dialogue surrounding "legal orientalism," "indigenization," and the reconstruction of Chinese legal modernity. —**Chen Li**, Associate Professor, Department of History and Centre for the Study of the History and Culture of East Asia, University of Toronto; Associate Professor (by courtesy), Faculty of Law