On 2 December 2020，Mr. Li Long, a renowned Marxist jurist, legal educator, "National Outstanding Senior Jurist" of the Chinese Law Society, "Jingchu Famous Social Scientist" of Hubei Province, senior professor of humanities and social sciences of Wuhan University and Director of the Wuhan University Institute of Human Rights, passed away in Wuhan at the age of 83 due to illness. The farewell ceremony for Mr. Li was held in Wuchang on the 8th.

Leaders of the party and the state, leaders of relevant departments of the central government, leaders of Hubei Province and Wuhan City, teachers, students, alumni and all walks of life mourned Mr. Li.

Party and state leaders expressed their condolences on the death of Mr. Li, expressed their sympathy to his family and laid a wreath. They are:

Li Zhanshu, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC); Zhang Dejiang, former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and former Chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC; Li Lanqing, former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and former Vice Premier of the State Council; Wu Guanzheng, former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and former Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the CPC Central Committee; Wang Chen, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) and Chairman of the Chinese Law Society; Wan Erxiang, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

Leaders of relevant departments of the Central Government, leaders of Hubei Province and Wuhan City, leaders of Wuhan University and relevant universities paid tribute to Mr. Li in different ways. They are:  

Chen Baosheng, Secretary of the Party Group and Minister of Education of P.R.C; Li Xiaohong, Secretary of the Party Group and President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Chen Xunqiu, Secretary of the Party Group and Executive Vice President of the Chinese Law Society; Ying Yong, Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial People's Congress; Wang Xiaodong, Deputy Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee and Governor of Hubei Province; Xu Liquan, Chairman of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Secretary of the Party Group; Zhang Wenxian, Member of the Party Group and Director of the Academic Committee of the Chinese Law Society; Xu Xianming, Member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) and Vice Chairman of the NPC Supervision and Justice Committee; Jiang Bixin, Vice Chairman of the NPC Constitution and Law Committee and former Vice President of the Supreme People's Court; Tao Kaiyuan, Vice President of the Supreme People's Court; Sun Yao, Member of the Party Group and Vice Minister of Education of P.R.C; Liu Xuewen and Du Wanhua, former full-time members of the Judicial Committee of the Supreme People's Court; Wang Yanling, Member of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee for Political and Legal Affairs; Wang Zhonglin, Member of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Wuhan Municipal Party Committee；Wang Jin, Party Secretary and Procurator-General of Hubei Provincial People's Procuratorate；Zhou Xianwang, Deputy Secretary of Wuhan Municipal Committee and Mayor；Gu Hailiang, former member of the Party Group of the Ministry of Education and former President of the National Academy of Education Administration；Gong Pixiang, former Deputy Director and Deputy Secretary of the Party Group of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Congress; Yang Zhi, Executive Deputy Secretary General of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee; Fu Dehui, President of the Hubei Law Society; Jiang Changzhong, Secretary of the Party Group of the Hunan Provincial Education Department, Secretary and Director of the Education Working Committee of the Hunan Provincial Committee; Huang Jin, President of the Chinese Society of International Law; Lv Zhongmei, President of the Environmental Resources Law Research Society of the Chinese Law Society; Zhuo Zeyuan, Vice Provost of Party School of the Central Committee of CPC; Zhou Youyong, Director of the Department of Politics and Law of Party School of the Central Committee of CPC; Yu Liping, Secretary of the Party Group of the Hubei Federation of Social Science Circles; Wang Yongjin, Vice President of the Hubei Law Society , Deputy Secretary of the Party Group of the Provincial People's Procuratorate; Wang Long, Member of the Party Group and Secretary General of the Hubei Law Society; Xu Hanming, Former Deputy Secretary of the Party Group of the People's Procuratorate of Hubei Province; Guan Taibing, Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the Justice Bureau of Wuhan; Wang Weidong, Secretary of the Party Committee of National Prosecutors College of P.R.C; Wang Liming, Former Executive Vice President of Renmin University of China; Huang Taiyan, Secretary of the Party Committee of Beijing Jiaotong University; Fu Zitang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Southwest University of Political Science and Law; Wang Yi, Vice President of Renmin University of China; Xu Xiaodong, Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Huazhong University of Science and Technology; Xie Hongxing, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hubei University; Liu Maolin, President of Hubei University of Police; Yang Song, Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Liaoning University; Du Chengming, Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Guangdong University of Finance and Economics; Mao Hu, Vice President of Jianghan University; Ma Junju and Cao Nanping, Professors of Tsinghua University Law School; Han Dayuan, Professor of Renmin University of China Law School;Wang Xi and Ye Bifeng, Professor of Kaiyuan Law School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Wen Zhengbang, Professor of Southwest University of Political Science and Law; Tong Zhiwei, Professor of East China University of Political Science and Law; Shu Guoying, Professor of the Law School of China University of Political Science and Law; Zhu Zhengfu, Chairman of the Partners' Conference of Guangdong Hylands Law Firm; Li Delong, Director of the General Office of Henan Provincial Government; Long Jiancheng, Chairman of the Chinese people's Political Consultative Conference in Qidong County, Hunan Province.

Letters of condolence, floral tributes and condolences to the family were sent by:

Ministry of Education; General Office of the Supreme People's Court; Hubei Provincial Committee of CPC; Hubei Provincial Government; Hubei Provincial People's Congress; Hubei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference;  General Office of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee; General Office of the Hubei Provincial Government; General Office of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial People's Congress; General Office of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference;  Propaganda Department of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee;  The People's Procuratorate of Hubei; Hubei Higher People's Court; Office of the Leading Group of Talent Work of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee; Hubei Committee of the JiuSan Society; Applied Theory Research Base of the Supreme People's Procuratorate; Zhongnan Procuratorial Research Institute of the Supreme People's Procuratorate; Wuhan Municipal Committee of the CPC;  Wuhan Municipal Government; General Office of the CPC Wuhan Municipal Committee; General Office of the Wuhan Municipal Government; Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Justice; Wuchang District Committee of the CPC; Wuchang District Government; Organization Department of Wuchang District Committee of the CPC; Academic Committee of the Chinese Law Society; Teaching Guidance Committee for Law Courses in Higher Education Schools, Ministry of Education; Jurisprudence Research Society of the Chinese Law Society; Law Education Research Society of the Chinese Law Society; Chinese Society for Human Rights Research; Hubei Law Society; Peking University; Tsinghua University; Renmin University of China; China University of Political Science and Law; Jilin University, Fudan University; Shanghai JiaoTong University; Nanjing University; Zhejiang University; Huazhong University of Science and Technology; Zhongnan University of Economics and Law; Southwest University of Political Science and Law; East China University of Political Science and Law; Northwest University of Political Science and Law; Centre for Human Rights Education and Research, Renmin University of China; Institute of Human Rights Research, China University of Political Science and Law; Center for Theoretical Legal Studies, Jilin University; Jintai Law Firm; D&S Law Firm; Grandall Law Firm; Santong Law Firm; Luojia Law Firm; Shen Zongling Law Foundation of Peking University; Wuhan Dangdai Group; TF Securities; The Society of Heart’s Delight, California, USA; Secretariat of Hunan jurists Association; Wuhan University Beijing Alumni Association Law Branch; Wuhan University Guangzhou Alumni Association Law Branch; Wuhan University Shenzhen Alumni Association Law Branch; Wuhan University Zhuhai Alumni Association Law Branch; Wuhan University Jiangsu Alumni Association Law Branch.

Han Jin, Secretary of the Party Committee of Wuhan University, academician Dou Xiankang, President of Wuhan University and other leaders of the university, Li Jian, Liu Jingnan，Li Jincai and other veteran leaders of the university, senior professors of humanities and social sciences Peng Feizhang, Ma Feicheng and Yu Kexun, as well as party and administration departments, relevant colleges, research institutions and affiliated units of Wuhan University all expressed their condolences to Mr. Li in various forms, expressed their sympathy to his family and laid a wreath of flowers.

At 8.30 am, the farewell ceremony for Mr Li was held. The ceremony was presided over by Party Secretary Han Jin, and President Dou Xiankang introduced the life of Mr Li. After a moment of silence, all presenters bowed in tribute to Mr Li.

Prof. Li Long was born in Qiyang County, Hunan Province on January 24, 1937, joined the army in 1950 and entered the law department of Wuhan University in 1954. In 1980, he worked in the Department of politics and education of Huangshi Normal University (now Hubei Normal University), and later served as the director of the Department. He joined JiuSan Society in 1982 and joined the Wuhan University Law School in 1988, where he was appointed as a professor and doctoral supervisor in 1989 and served as the deputy dean of the Wuhan University Law School in 1991. He was appointed Dean of the Law School of Zhejiang University in 2000 and was selected as a Senior Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at Wuhan University

Mr. Li had been engaged in law education and research throughout his life. He had served as a member of the Review Committee of the Ministry of Education's key teaching materials, deputy director of the Ministry of Education's Law Subject Teaching Steering Committee, member of the Academic Committee of the Chinese Law Society, executive director of the Chinese Law Society, vice president of the Jurisprudence Research Society of the Chinese Law Society, vice president of the International Association of Legal Philosophy and Social Philosophy China Chapter, vice president of the Law Education Research Society of the Chinese Law Society, expert in the accreditation of the National "2011 Collaborative Innovation Centre" and member of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Since the 1980s, he had published more than 40 monographs and textbooks and over 200 academic papers，presided over more than 10 projects and received multiple major awards for national outstanding achievements.

Mr. Li was an outstanding Marxist jurist in contemporary China who has made numerous significant and original contributions in the fields of the Chineseization of Marxist jurisprudence, the disciplinary system of jurisprudence, the basic theory of constitutional law, and the theory and practice of human rights. In 1995, his book The Theory and Practice of Human Rights, of which he was the executive editor-in-chief, was published, setting out the basic elements of the Marxist human rights systematically. In 2004, he pioneered the concept of a humanistic view of law with the publication of Studies in the Humanistic View of Law. His works such as Basic Theory of Constitutional Law and History of Western Constitutional Thought were also the first in Chinese jurisprudence to achieve a multidisciplinary cross-fertilization of jurisprudence, legal history and constitutional law. He had achieved a stylistic innovation in the development of textbooks and a division of the disciplinary system of jurisprudence. In recent years, he had also written a book entitled A History of the Development of Chinese Jurisprudence, which built up a grand picture of the development of Chinese jurisprudence.

Mr. Li was a renowned legal educator and a pioneer in the reform of legal education in contemporary China. In 1997, he published an article entitled "On the Reform of Legal Education in China" and subsequently proposed the creation of an undergraduate law programme and the establishment of 14 core courses in law. In 2017, he led his disciples to establish the Wuhan University Li Long Foundation, which is dedicated to fostering high-quality legal talents. At the same time, he is committed to promoting foreign exchanges and cooperation in Chinese jurisprudence.

Mr. Li Long was a practitioner of the rule of law in China, a witness and participant in the construction of the rule of law in China. He had been invited to participate in the discussions on the 1982 Constitution and its three subsequent amendments. In the 1980s, he became a part-time lawyer and undertook many important cases. He was also one of the first scholars to explore the development of public interest law. Under his leadership and guidance, Wuhan University established the Wuhan University Legal Aid Centre, the Centre for Public Interest and Development Law, and the Human Rights Research Institute.

Mr. Li's life was a life of great dedication to the development of Chinese jurisprudence. The spirit of Mr. Li is the best interpretation and concentration of the spirit of Wuhan University. We will carry forward the excellent character and noble spirit of Mr. Li, and strive to build Wuhan University into a world-class university with Chinese characteristics.

Edited by Yuan Yuhang & Wu Liuqing