676 The China Quarterly,191,September 2007,pp.675-695 in relation to divorce.'These changes were followed in 2003 by a further revision of the rules governing marriage (and divorce)registration.Secondly,a synthesizing,national code of family planning was finally introduced,also in 2001,and then extended in 2002 by State Council Measures on the Administration of Social Upbringing Charges.Other notable developments include the 1998 revision of the Adoption Law'and the continuing evolution of a corpus of social protection law(shehui baozhang fa社会保障法)including in particular the introduction of a law protecting the rights and interests of the elderly in 1996 and a revision of the 1992 Women's Protection Law in 2005.8 A number of the changes mentioned above and considered in greater detail below are also related to shifting policies and practices regarding the role of various forms of dispute process-especially“mediation”(tiaojie调节)-in Chinese social life in general and intra-familial disputes in particular. Three specific aspects of family law are focused on:marriage,divorce and reproduction.These are the core of PRC "family law."This focus does not accord exactly,however,with the "official"view in China,which regards rules and issues of family planning as largely falling outside family law,so that,for example,even compendia of rules on family law matters intended for judicial practice omit direct reference to legislation relating to reproduction and associated issues.The present article and its predecessor,however,both assume that planned births and population policies and rules are so critical for 3 That is,the 2001 "Zuigao renmin fayuan guanyu shiyong 'Zonghua renmin gongheguo hunyin fa' ruogan wenti de jieshi [1]"("Interpretation of the Supreme People's Court on several problems concerning the application of the Marriage Law of the PRC [1]"),promulgated and in force 24 December 2001,and the 2003"Zuigao renmin fayuan guanyu shiyong 'Zonghua renmin gongheguo hunyin fa'ruogan wenti de jieshi (2)"("Interpretation of the Supreme People's Court on several problems concerning the application of the Marriage Law of the PRC [2]")promulgated 25 December 2003 and in force 1 April 2004 in Hunyin fa peitao guiding(A Complete Set of Rules on the Marriage Low)(Beijing:Zhongguo fazhi chubanshe,2006)at pp.14-18 and pp.18-22 respectively.See also Zuigao renmin fayuan minshi shenpan diyi ting(First Civil Trial Chamber of the Supreme People's Court)(ed.).Hunyin fa sifa jieshi ji xiangguan fali guifan (Judicial Interpretations of the Marriage Law and Relevant Legal Provisions)(Beijing:Renmin fayuan chubanshe,2001);Huang Songyou (ed.), Hunyin fa sifa jieshi (2)de lijie yu shiyong (Understanding and Applying The Second Judicial Interpretation of the Marriage Law)(Beijing:Renmin fayuan chubanshe). Marriage Registration Regulations(Hunyin dengji tiaoli),promulgated by the State Council,8 August 2003 and in force 1 October 2003,in A Complete Set of Rules on the Marriage Law.pp.42-48. 5 "Zonghua renmin gongheguo renkou yu jihua shengyu fa,"promulgated 29 December 2001 and in force 1 September 2002.in Renkou yu jihua shengyu fa ji qi peitao guiding (The Population and Birth Planning Law and a Complete Set of its Rules)(Beijing.Zhongguo fazhi chubanshe,2003)at pp.1-9. 6 "Shehui fuyang zhengshou guanli banfa,"in ibid.at pp.135-37. 7 "Zhonghua renmin gongheguo shouyang fa,"revised and in force 4 November 1998.in A Complete Set of Rules on the Marriage Law,pp.23-27. 8 See Michael Palmer."Protecting the rights and interests of the elderly:developments in the family law of the People's Republic of China,1996-8."in A.Bainham (ed.).The International Survey of Family Low:1999(Dordrecht:Kluwer (for The International Society on Family Law).1999).pp.95-107,and Michael Palmer,"On China's slow boat to women's rights:revisions to the Women's Protection Law 2005,"in P.W.Chan (ed.).special issue of International Journal of Human Rights on "Equality in the Asia Pacific,"Vol.11,Nos.I and 2 (2007),pp.151-77. 9 See,for example,China Legal System Press.Hunyin jiating ban'an changyong shouce (An Everyday Handbook for Handling Cases of Marriage and Family)(Beijing:Zhongguo fazhi chubanshe,2006).and Huang Songyou (ed.-in-chief).Hunyin jiating sifa jieshi shili shijie (Marriage and Family:Explanation of Judicial Interpretations and Concrete Cases)(Beijing:Renmin fayuan chubanshe,2006).      :        0--:              &    '   8  $  B$              $    0--($*   !  0--0      +   
       6   < #        ()),     
 / C                &  %* 



'                         ())<       ())0 A   /   0--*,
                                          9     33  & 

' 9                                     4   $              33          ! $  $   33      $                       $   $  ! $               "                          )          $  $                    :    $  0--( 33@         3@          "  D(E &332                   +   /     D(E'$       08   0--($   0--: 33@         3@          "  &0' &332                   +   /     D0E'   0*   0--:     (
 0--8    "   &#
" 0      ' &"4 @  B   $ 0--<'   (89(,   (,900        @            &.            ' &'$        1  &, ) "         (   $(' &"4       $ 0--('; F   &'$      234     &5    #"" 0  , ) "     ' &"4       ' 8 +        &F "  '$        $ ,
  0--:     ( #  0--:$  #
" 0      $  8098, * 33@   %  "   $   0)   0--(     (  0--0$   6       7 "   & $"   8 $   
" 0    ' &"$ @  B   $ 0--:'   (9) < 33   B      $  %   (:*9:C C 33@      $        8 7  ()),$  #
" 0      $  0:90C ,  +    $ 33         4               $ ())<9,$ 
   &'$ )   0(    / 9::: & 4 G &  2      .  / '$ ()))'$  )*9(-C$  +    $ 33#         4      A   / $ 0--*$   A   &'$       )   ,      33H=   
   $ I (($ 7  (  0 &0--C'$  (*(9CC ) $  ! $  /     $    %   &# !(  %6  
     ' &"4 @  B   $ 0--<'$  F   & '$         &  / !"   , ) "   

 ' &"4       $ 0--<' !"!       " # $  ## % "