--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Chinese state, from the days of the…" description: "\"“The Chinese state, from the days of the Qin, was an efficient, bureaucratized autocracy. Yet to this day, China has never developed the rule of law. I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/226/nicholas-wade-11913_autocracy_the-chinese-state-from-the-days-of-the-q_131133.jpg" --- # The Chinese state, from the days of the Qin, was an… ![“The Chinese state, from the days of the Qin, was an efficient, bureaucratized autocracy. Yet to this day, China has never developed the rule of law. Its emperors, and now the Chinese politburo, make the law but are not accountable to it and do not have to obey it themselves. China can always force…” quote by Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/226/nicholas-wade-11913_autocracy_the-chinese-state-from-the-days-of-the-q_131133.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/226/nicholas-wade-11913_autocracy_the-chinese-state-from-the-days-of-the-q_131133.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/226/nicholas-wade-11913_autocracy_the-chinese-state-from-the-days-of-the-q_131133.jpg) > ““The Chinese state, from the days of the Qin, was an efficient, bureaucratized autocracy. Yet to this day, China has never developed the rule of law. Its emperors, and now the Chinese politburo, make the law but are not accountable to it and do not have to obey it themselves. China can always force its people to build a Great Wall or its equivalent.”” [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. China’s bureaucratic autocracy lacks rule of law, allowing unchecked authority and forced massive projects. **In simple terms:** China lacks rule of law, enabling unchecked power. Key Takeaway Advocate for legal accountability. Themes politics authoritarianism law control Mood critical concerned Type political analytical When to use this quote - policy reform - human rights advocacy - infrastructure projects Key Concepts state power legal theory Questions to Reflect On - How does lack of law affect citizens? - Can development thrive without accountability? A Different Perspective Economic growth may coexist with limited freedoms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autocracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autocracy/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Rule of law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-of-law/) ## Related quotes > [The Chinese state is constructed in an entirely different way from western states. 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That never existed for centuries in this country \[South Africa\], especially under the apartheid regime, when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-have-introduced-a-rule-of-law-that-never-existed-for-centuries-in/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [An excess of law inescapably weakens the rule of law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-tribe/an-excess-of-law-inescapably-weakens-the-rule-of-law/) [Laurence Tribe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-tribe/) > [The rule of law that China's dissidents ask for is important to U.S. businesses investing in China as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-malinowski/the-rule-of-law-that-china-s-dissidents-ask-for-is-important-to-u-s/) [Tom Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-malinowski/) > [Lack of rule of law is the main reason Pakistan could not join the ranks of progressive nations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imran-khan/lack-of-rule-of-law-is-the-main-reason-pakistan-could-not-join-the/) [Imran Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imran-khan/) > [Human rights and rule of law are inseparably connected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/human-rights-and-rule-of-law-are-inseparably-connected/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [In any civil society, there's a serious problem when confidence in the rule of law is shaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-hoover/in-any-civil-society-there-s-a-serious-problem-when-confidence-in-the/) [Margaret Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-hoover/) > [I think the United States is still the indispensable force for positive change and for rule of law and for order and structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-think-the-united-states-is-still-the-indispensable-force-for/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [I studied law before I became a filmmaker, and I actually have a great belief in the justice system and the rule of law.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-broomfield/i-studied-law-before-i-became-a-filmmaker-and-i-actually-have-a-great/) [Nick Broomfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-broomfield/) > [Rule of law is based on probable cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-swalwell/rule-of-law-is-based-on-probable-cause/) [Eric Swalwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-swalwell/) > [The first step in the direction of a world rule of law is the recognition that peace no longer is an unobtainable ideal but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-first-step-in-the-direction-of-a-world-rule-of-law-is-the/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [A country's adhering to the rule of law does not mean that its citizens will not do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-inhofe/a-country-s-adhering-to-the-rule-of-law-does-not-mean-that-its/) [James Inhofe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-inhofe/) > [Overregulation corrupts citizens and weakens the rule of law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/overregulation-corrupts-citizens-and-weakens-the-rule-of-law/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Any new legal measures, or cooperative arrangements between government and companies meant to keep people from organizing violence or criminal actions, must not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/any-new-legal-measures-or-cooperative-arrangements-between-government/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) ## More by Nicholas Wade > [“there is every reason to suppose that people living in agrarian societies were subject to intense forces of natural selection. But what traits were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/there-is-every-reason-to-suppose-that-people-living-in-agrarian/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“The English state thus constructed a system, later followed by other European countries, in which the ruler was subject to the law and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/the-english-state-thus-constructed-a-system-later-followed-by-other/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“Although the emotional and intellectual differences between the world’s peoples as individuals are slight enough, even a small shift in social behavior can generate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/although-the-emotional-and-intellectual-differences-between-the-world/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“The king and queen were usually present, and the king or the dauphin would light a pyre. 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Gelada baboons have 22 different kinds of call, and gorillas have been recorded using some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/several-primate-species-have-communication-systems-of-considerable/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“One of the strangest features of human anatomy, when people are compared with the other 200 monkey and ape species in the primate family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/one-of-the-strangest-features-of-human-anatomy-when-people-are/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“it is easy to recognize an evolutionary process at work that has molded the human form for better survival in an arctic environment. Populations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/it-is-easy-to-recognize-an-evolutionary-process-at-work-that-has/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“Americans may already have begun adapting genetically to the American environment in the several generations since their ancestors arrived in the United States. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/americans-may-already-have-begun-adapting-genetically-to-the-american/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“others are still in the throes of the process. 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Sometimes things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-know-a-whole-generation-has-been-raised-on-the-notion-of/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [A government with all this mass of favours to give or to withhold, however free in name, wields a power of bribery scarcely surpassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-government-with-all-this-mass-of-favours-to-give-or-to-withhold/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The old vicious cycle of empires threatened to repeat itself, the old story of the many led by the few. Always it had come,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/the-old-vicious-cycle-of-empires-threatened-to-repeat-itself-the-old/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [“The only way, they argued, to prevent a revolution was to rule Russia with an iron hand. 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You hear it from high priests at Harvard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/power-has-to-be-protected-from-scrutiny-that-s-the-principle-of-every/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Browse all 59 Autocracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autocracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The Chinese state, from the days of the Qin, was an efficient, bureaucratized autocracy. Yet to this day, China has never developed the rule of law. Its emperors, and now the Chinese politburo, make the law but are not accountable to it and do not have to obey it themselves. 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