Book Discussion: Property Law in China: Transition and Trend

Abstract: This groundbreaking book delves into the complexities of Chinese property law, offering detailed analysis, practical case studies and insightful global comparisons. The book explains the evolution and current landscape of property law in China and how theoretical principles are applied in real-world scenarios. 

Speakers: 

Author: Professor Lei Chen (PhD) is the Chair of International Arbitration and Chinese Law and the Deputy Dean (Strategic Development and Internationalisation) at Durham Law School, Durham University. He is a titular member of the International Academy of Comparative Law and an ordinary member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Prof Chen has also been a Fellow of the European Law Institute. In 2022, he founded the Durham International Dispute Resolution Institute (DIDRI), where he currently serves as Director. Professor Chen’s research focuses on comparative private law and international arbitration. He has published extensively in these areas in legal journals, edited volumes of multidisciplinary scholarship, interdisciplinary journals and monographs. Currently, he leads a multi-volume project on article-by-article English commentary of the Chinese Civil Code.

Discussant: Susan Bright is Professor of Land Law, Oxford University. Sue teaches land law, contract law, regulation, and housing and human rights. She has been teaching at Oxford University since 1992, after a period as a solicitor in London and teaching at Essex University. She is also a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, Fellow of the South African Research Chair in Property Law, and an academic member of the Chancery Bar Association, Property Bar Association and Property Litigation Association.

Discussant: Dr Lerong Lu is a Reader in Law and the Director of Postgraduate Studies at The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London. He is the Founding Director of the King’s Law & Technology LLM programme. Dr Lu is an expert in International Financial Law and FinTech Regulation. He is the author of three books: Private Lending in China (Routledge, 2019), Global FinTech Revolution (Oxford University Press, 2024), and Towards Financial Superpower (Oxford University Press, 2025), and has published over 50 articles in edited volumes and academic journals.

Discussant: Ting Xu is a Professor at Essex Law School. She holds an LLB from Sun Yat-sen University and an LLM (with Distinction) and PhD from the London School of Economics. Ting is the author and editor of three books: The Revival of Private Property and Its Limits in Post-Mao China (Wildy, Simmonds and Hill Publishing, 2014), Property and Human Rights in a Global Context (edited with Jean Allain, Hart Publishing, 2015) and Legal Strategies for the Development and Protection of Communal Property, Proceedings of the British Academy, vol. 216 (edited with Alison Clarke, Oxford University Press, 2018).