Introduction to the Beijing Supreme People's Court
The Beijing Supreme Court is an important National Government building located between QianMen Dongdajie' and Xi XiaoMin Alley, the West Section of (former) Legations Street. The Supreme Court is a not Tourist Attraction, but has important functions for the National Government and National Rule of Law. The Supreme Court handles criminal cases, among which Kidnap, murder, robbery and cases involving bombings and explosives. Other cases involve smuggling, counterfeiting, intellectual property rights, piracy of products, negligence and financial breaches such as embezzlement and bribery. Government Official Negligence is also often tried at the Supreme Court.
Last but not Least, the Beijing Supreme Peoples Court is the last and highest place in China to Review Death
Beijing Supreme Peoples' Court
(Zuigao Renmin Fayuan)
Dongcheng District, Beijing
Front of The Supreme Peoples Court of Beijing at QianMen Dong Dajie'.
This page was last updated: June 29, 2017
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View past The Supreme Peoples Court of Beijing with roof of QianMen - Front Gate at TiananMen Square in the Distance.
About the Beijing Supreme People's Court - This Building is China's National Supreme Court , the Highest Court possible in China. Handling the severest of cases that have been judged and appealed through-out China, the Supreme Peoples Court sees many desperate and/or principled cases reach their final outcome. Usually quiet, especially on the street in Front, for passing tourists this is just another stalinistic Building with Uniformed Guards and Government Seal. Only the Judges and Officials fine western cars draw attention. Scalpers with Mao pins, cards & 2008 Olympics parafernelia usually loiter in front and around.
The above described drama is not the first and probably not the last to occur at the Peoples Court Appeal Letters Office. As observed, the Guards regularly use violence as a means of intimidating and controlling citizens, a phenomenon not uncommon throughout China. On February the 4Th, only 21 days earlier, a similar incident led to an unexplained death at the Appeals Letters Office. When passing by at West Legations Street in the morning, tensions are palpable near this line of downtrodden citizens.
A Tip for Helpful Tourists: do not mingle in any protests or violence occurring near this spot. You are advised to not photograph the line nor protestors, unless you are a licensed Journalist with sufficient back-up.
According to reliable international news sources the Chinese
View to the West - Empty Tourbus awaiting at QianMen Avenue
At most Times there is not much to be seen at the Court Gate at QianMen Dongdajie'. One can stand in front and view the Impressive Logo on the Front of the Building and meet a pair of stern Guards at a usually closed Gate.
The Luxury cars parked here, stacked neatly on top of eachother, in modern apparatuses, where among the first to show up in central Beijing and one could get a feeling that this is an important Place.
It is ! That is, if you are interested in Chinese internal politics, the Chinese Justice System, Justice in China in General and other politically flavored
subjects, or .. if you are a Chinese Citizen in great discontent with some Legal Issue you have become embroiled (and battered) in. For those who are not interested in Political or Legal Matters, move on West towards QianMen at the South side of huge TiananMen Square, Largest Square in the World. TiananMen Square is just 200
There is however more to the Supreme Peoples Court than merely this official front at QianMen East Avenue.
As mentioned in the introduction, in the Past desperate protesters would show up at the Main Gate. However, this situation was resolved quickly.
Not only has protesting been forcefully discouraged since, the Supreme Court further made the smart move to move their Office for Letters and Visit Appeal (of the Beijing Supreme People's Court) to the Street behind and North of the Court, placing it much more out of the way of the Public Eye and the Tourist ejected from Buses at QianMen Dongdajie' and heading peacefully and blissfully unaware Westward towards
For some Time in the Year 2003 AD, Protest and Banner Waving at the Main Gate were becoming frequent. In the Years 2004 and 2005 AD however, few, if any protestors were seen at the Gate.
Since 2006 however, masses of people were lining up each morning at the appeals office in Xi Xiaomin Alley. Eversince, political actions, protesting and petitioning have increased steadily or appear to have done so.
Tragically, the year 2008 saw a True Drama occur at the Office for Letters and Visit Appeal of the Beijing Supreme People's Court. On the afternoon of February 25Th of 2008, in the days leading up to the politically important National Peoples Congress and the China Peoples Consultative Congress, a desperate petitioner at the Appeals Office attempted to commit suicide. According to witnesses that the official at the checkpoint beat Huang Yurong, a 49-year-old man, and took away his belongings. Soon after, Huang took some poison and passed out
Find the Letters of Appeal Office currently at Xi XiaoMin Alley, the West Former legations Street and the current address of the (National) Ministry of Public Security. Guards at the Ministry keep an eye out for trouble and keep order when necessary.
The Vehicle Entrance to the large Supreme Peoples Court Complex as seen from the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall.
at the office. The ambulance came and drove him to a local hospital where he was refused. He then was sent to Beijing Hospital No. 307. The victim died there.
As the last resort from desperate and often impoverished citizens from regions all over China, the past years the Gate of the Supreme Peoples Court has been the scene of small Public Protests against such legal wrongs as uncompensated eviction from home or land, perceived or true corruption by high Government Officials and the Like. Enraged, depressed and often dispaired citizens, loners or groups, rotate through coming in from far away regions such as Guangdong, Xinjiang, Gansu and even Tibet. They do so to Protest and petition the National Government and motivate the Court. So far success has been limited. As such protests are discouraged, the
Sentences handed out by Provincial Courts of all regions in China. Since January the 1st of 2007 Powers of reviewing death sentences have been returned to The Supreme Peoples Court. This a major reform in China's criminal justice system, strengthening procedural guarantees for preventing misjudged cases and safeguarding offenders' legal rights. According to Chinese Observers, since January 2007 the number of Death Sentences handed out by Provincial Governments has been markedly reduced suggesting that local courts have become more cautious in issuing death orders.
China's top judge and president of the Supreme People's Court is Xiao Yang. He has been President of the Supreme Court since his election in 1998 AD.
Map of The Beijing Legations Quarter in 1916 AD
Schematic Map of the 1916 AD Beijing Legation Quarter, between 1861 AD - and 1919 AD home of the Colonial Embassies in Beijing,
Map depicts the Former Legations Quarter including details of the Southern City Walls and Beijing's First Railway Station (QianMen) as well as the smaller TiananMen Square of 1916 AD. Further on this Map the Location of ALL Legations of Various European and other Colonial Nations plus Todays remaining remnants and sights of the Beijing (Former) Legation Quarter.
Short Summary of Streets in the Legations Quarter with their historic relevance is included !
Read More in the 11 Page Report on the Legations Quarter of Today.
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The main front of the Supreme Peoples Court Complex as seen from across the wide Qianmen East Street boulevard in December of 2013. Where the gate was always guarded recently the Guards have been put up in a comfortable and protective glass cubicle.
Communist Party is planned and conducted large scale comprehensive arrest of petitioners, human rights defenders, and dissidents present in Beijing in advance of the Olympic Games of August 2008 to ensure the smooth progress of the Olympic Games.
The Zone of QianMen Dong Dajie (=East Avenue) near the Peoples Court is in busy use by multiple Chinese Tourbus Operators. CITS ( China International Travel Service ) Buses and others regularly unload visitors to TiananMen Square , hence the Scalpers. Avoid the tenacious scalpers if you can unless you need a map, warm hat, post cards or something.
