Podcast

Under Wu Zetian, an act of filial revenge brought Confucian duty into direct conflict with state law. Through the case of Xu Yuanqing, this episode introduces the Tang Code and judicial system, revisits the century-spanning debate between Chen Zi'ang and Liu Zongyuan, and asks whether state power and moral justice can coexist.

Drawing on Francis Fukuyama's The Origins of Political Order, this episode moves from Qin unification and the Qin legal system to the revival of Roman law, Bologna, and natural law. It compares China's early centralized state with Europe's later development of law and accountable government, asking how state power, the rule of law, and accountability together make modern political order.