Preface to the Revised Edition of 2015
The first edition of this book was published in 2011.Reworking it revealed to me the truth of Ehrenzweig’s observation that first editions should not be published.In addition to correcting mistakes and infelicities,I have attempted,as best as I could,to bring the text and footnotes up to date.This endeavor turned out to be sisyphean,given the sheer bulk of an exponentially expanding legislation and case law.Nor have literature and framers of international conventions stood still since the publication of the first edition.
To mention but a few major developments: The Second Amendment to the PRC Civil Procedure Law was adopted on August 31,2012 and came into force on January 1,2013.On January 6,2013,the Supreme People’s Court of the PRC promulgated Interpretation (I) on the Conflicts Act.In addition,many courts in foreign jurisdictions,Hong Kong and California in particular,have changed their case law in subtle and less subtle ways,which have influenced,directly or indirectly,the development of Chinese private international law.Although none of the above has been revolutionary on its own,but together the developments have had a substantial impact: those changes are reflected through this edition.
The current edition of this book remains true to its original aspiration: to assist students,practitioners,and scholars alike in understanding both doctrinal and pragmatic aspects of Chinese private international law.It continues to do so through a deliberate effort to provide extensive discussion and references to authorities—on the premise that detailed answers provoke better,more challenging questions.
Three years have passed since the release of the first edition,and my efforts would not have been possible without the assistance of countless colleagues,students and friends.I cannot hope to acknowledge them all here and will not attempt to do so.
Finally,I must acknowledge the sacrifices of my parents and wife.Any scholar’s commitment to a project of this sort comes always at a substantial cost to one’s family.I just hope that the costs have been modest enough,and compensated (to some degree) with my attention,respect,and love.Special thanks also go to my little princess: though she did not always manage to keep quiet and behave herself during its writing,she,however,brings to me a heart of joy and a powerful sense of fatherhood which makes me strong and proud.
As always,I fully accept responsibility for the errors and omissions found in this book.Though I have done my best,I have never even imagined to publish a perfect book,for “only when we come to realize that wholeness and perfection do not exist,will we ensure our own survival.”[1](https://www.daowen.com)
HUO Zhengxin
Beijing,China
August 15,2014
【注释】
[1]Thomas Bernhard,Alte Meister.