Su Tianjue And His Legal Practices And Thoughts

Su Tianjue is a well-known Chinese politician, as well as a scholar with great achievements during the late Yuan Dynasty. He generated profound influence in both realms of politics and academics, and earned a tremendous valuation by later historians in Ming and Qing Dynasties.Su Tianjue started his thirty-year-old political career by achieving the number one in the National Examination in 1317. He spent a long period at the position of Xiantai, and later became a stuff inside the Jiancha system, the National Official Monitoring system, and executed 8 times of official monitorings. This then becomes the most important achievement in his political life. During his stay in Jiancha system, he showed an extraordinary political consciousness and great talents regarding the problem solving of all kinds of political corruptions. He displayed a high attitude of nobility, and guarded the justice with all competence. He pointed out the shortages of the Yuan Justice system, and made valuable suggestions for adjustments. He especially emphasized the importance of strengthening and perfection of the system and quality of judges, with many effective means. As a result, Su Tianjue's efforts contributed in the improvement of Yuan's justice system, in ways of aiding the government's domination, releasing the harsh condition of the mass, and correcting the administration, which all became essential to Yuan's legislation and justice system. However, his personal efforts could not stop the whole dynasty's wheel toward destruction through corruptions, but indeed brought certain benefits for the ordinary people. So Su Tianjue is one of few officials with an overall appraisal during the dynasty.Su Tianjue also devoted much of his time into the history of Yuan Dynasty, and wrote many precious works based on enormous accumulations of facts. As a result, he becomes one of the most important historian then.The legal system in Yuan Dynasty is severely defective. Su Tianjue accumulated many facts, documents, etc., when he worked in the Jiancha system. These documents now have become the most valuable ones for later men to study the Yuan legal system. As a famous politician, and scholar, Su Tianjue's life deserves meticulous inspections and studies, including his friends, his academic relations, etc., in comparison with other Chinese officials then living under the domination of other ethnics. To summarize his legal thoughts and related practices, is therefore academically and realistically important, in terms of Yuan history studies.