Han Depei

Born in Rugao County of Jiangsu Province on February 6th, 1911;

Graduated from Law Department, Nanjing University in 1934;

Obtained a Master’s Degree in Law from Toronto University in Canada and transferred to the School of Law in Harvard University to continue his study in international private law, international public law and jurisprudence in 1942;

Became a professor in the Law Department of Wuhan University in 1945 and later the dean of the Department;

Led the task of restoring academic prowess to the Law Department of Wuhan University in 1979;

Created WHU Institute of International Law in 1980 and WHU Institute of Environment Law in 1981;

Passed away on May 29th, 2009 in Wuhan.

Han Depei once worked as the Dean of the Law Department of Wuhan University, the Honorary Director of the WHU School of Law, the Director of the WHU Institute of International Law and WHU Institute of Environmental Law, a member of the first and second Law Discipline Appraisal Group under the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council as well as a special member of the third Law Discipline Appraisal Group. He was also an adviser to the Economic Law Research Center of the State Council, the State Environmental Protection Administration and the China Law Society. In addition, he assumed the post of Vice President and Honorary President of 3 institutions, namely the Chinese Society of International Law, the International Private Law Association of China, the Institute of Environmental and Resources Law of China Law Society, while once served as a council member in the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, International Environment Law Research Center, and World Society for Urban and Regional Planning,etc.Some of his representative academic papers include Substantive and Procedural Issues in Private International Law,Remission in Private International Law and Attention Should Be Paid to the Research on Conflict of Laws,etc. His major works include Private International Law,A Coursebook of Environmental Protection Law,Modern International Law,A Study of China’s Conflicts of Laws,Theory and Practice of Chinese Environment Law,Anthology of References for Teaching Private International Law,among which,Private International Law marks the first national textbook among all universities in China, winning the National ExcellentTextbook Award. Han not only presided over 20 scientific and research projects sponsored by National Social Science Fund, the State Education Commission and some provincial-level institutions, but also guided doctoral students studying Private International Law and Public International Law since 1982, and tutored many graduate students majoring in Private International Law and Environmental Law. Han was widely recognized as a famous jurist in China, a Chinese master on International Law as well as the pioneer and founder of Chinese Environmental and Resources Law. In 1984, a feature article entitled The Jurist in Contemporary China was published in Encyclopedia of China (Law Volume)specifically to introduce him.