RENMIN UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL VIRTUAL WORKSHOP SERIES （REVIEW 2014） ON ZHANG TAISU AND HIS NEW CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE ON CHINA＇S ECONOMIC DECLINE IN SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

On 25 April 2014, the second Renmin University International Virtual Workshop （RUIVW）, also the inaugural Renmin-Duke Law Workshop, was held in the Renmin Law School. Professor Zhang Taisu from Duke Law School delivered a talk based on his latest work ＂Kinship, Property, and Agricultural Capitalism in Pre-Industrial China and England.＂ By comparing the two types of land transactions, the dian in China and the mortgage in England, Zhang analyzed the cultural norms leading to the differences of the above property rights and its influence on China＇s macroeconomic decline （referred to ＂decline＂）. Scholar participants spoke highly of Zhang＇s work and raised several questions on it. Gao Yangguang emphasized on the distinguished differences between the psychological needs of social groups behind the above property rights and therefore doubted their comparability in this regard. Guo Rui, the host of this workshop, commented on Zhang＇s work from company law perspective. Jiang Dong discussed the definition of ＂capitalism＂ and its role in the causation to decline. Xiong Bingwan put forward another prospective sub-connections between cultural norms and economic outcomes. You Chenjun suggested evaluation the decline from social functions of the property transactions beyond the economic level by giving the example of tan qi, a unique kind of contract in Ming and Qing China. Pan Weijiang, from Beihang University Law School, compared the concept culture in Zhang＇s work to ＂social structure＂ and suggested more explanation for the impact of the Confucian on it.