What is the cooling-off period for divorce? Does the law protect online virtual property? Who should bear civil liability for injuries suffered by righteous bravery? Recently, Ms. Lin Sidan from Guangdong Jiage Law Firm visited GTIIT with a informative lecture, which clarified the specific meaning and scope of application of the relevant provisions of the Civil Code for students. By incorporating real-life cases, the lecture also introduced the practical application and effect of the Civil Code.

"The new rules regarding the cooling-off period for divorce are from the Civil Code, which came into effect on January 1, 2021, and in addition to addressing marriage and family matters, the newly promulgated Civil Code also encompasses many new rules on property rights, contracts, personality rights, inheritance and tort liability." During her speech, Ms. Lin introduced that the Civil Code is a legal system, which regulates civil legal matters such as personal and property relations, and mainly follows the following basic principles - equality, good faith, law-abiding, public order and good morals, and the green principle.

She focused on the principle of public order and good morals. "This principle requires civil subjects to abide by public order and follow the moral standards generally recognized by members of social subjects, which can make up for the lack of legal prohibitions." In a highly debated case of a villager climbing trees for fruit without permission but falling to death in Huadu District, Guangzhou, the court finally ruled that the village committee was not at fault for the death of the villager, which fired a powerful shot to challenge the traditional concept of "who gets injured is in the right", and also clearly demonstrated that the new judiciary can sympathize with the weak, but does not encourage or protect behaviors that violate social ethics, public order and good morals.

Combining the previous hit TV shows and the widely publicized cases such as "housewife divorced and received RMB50,000 as housework compensation", Ms. Lin specifically explained some hot topics in the new regulations of the Civil Code, which made heated discussions among the audience.

At the end of the lecture, Ms. Lin emphasized that the Civil Code adheres to the basic requirements, including the equality of subjects, protection of property rights, facilitation of transaction circulation, safeguarding human dignity, promoting family harmony, and pursuing tort liability, which covers almost all civil acts in a person's life.

Text: Liu Huayi, GTIIT News & Public Affairs

Photos: Pan Jing, GTIIT News & Public Affairs