New directions and trends
8 Conclusion
As shown above, the legal system in Taiwan is a mixture of modern legal notions and traditional elements. The whole structure of the legal system was transÂplanted from Western countries with certain important variations; some of these were based on traditional Chinese or Taiwanese concepts of law and justice, and others were incorporated to cope with the needs of the society.
The mixture may be considered unique from many perspectives. It represents the first time the continental legal system was introduced into Chinese society after the ROC was established. Also, the Taiwanese system has been influenced by different legal systems and is able to balance these different systems, blending them into a workable whole. The legal mixture represents a developing country striving to establish a modern justice system to protect human rights and serve a rapidly developing economy.
Certainly, the Taiwanese legal system still needs improvement, and indeed the legal system that was founded almost 100 years ago with the establishment of the Republic is constantly being improved, in all-important developments put in place recently. If there is a lesson to be learned from Taiwan, perhaps it is, among other things, that a legal system of a developing country needs continuous and constant refinement, modernisation and enhancement.