Teaching Evidence Law in Hong Kong after 1997

Abstract

In this chapter, the author discusses his experience of using comparative law materials and incorporating experiences from legal practice to enrich Evidence Law teaching. As most people now know, the implementation of “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong has not been without its challenges. In the conclusion, the author reflects upon whether the civil unrest of 2019, sparked by a proposed bill enabling ad hoc extradition of Hong Kong residents to Mainland China and other places, has implications for the teaching of Evidence in Hong Kong. Legal academics naturally speak of comparative law with a mind to scholarship, judges with a mind to adjudication, and most apex court judges with a mind to the coherent development of the law. But the author returns to the classroom and pedagogy. Comparative materials are especially useful in shedding light on how the local law might develop in an unsettled area.