Practical Legal Education as Transformative Learning in China: Advancing SDG 4 and SDG 16

Abstract

This article examines the global transformation of undergraduate legal education through the analytical lens of transformative learning theory, with a particular focus on how practice-oriented reforms contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 (Quality Education) and 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). Using China as a central case, the study analyses a series of landmark policy initiatives—the Outstanding Legal Professionals Education and Training Plan (2011), the Outstanding Rule-of-Law Professionals Education and Training Plan 2.0 (2018), the National Standards for Teaching Quality in Law Programmes (2021), and the Opinions on Strengthening Legal Education and Legal Theory Research in the New Era (2023). Case studies from Yangzhou University and Yantai University demonstrate how internships, legal clinics, moot courts, and structured collaborations with judicial institutions have reshaped pedagogy, moving legal education away from rote learning toward reflective, experiential, and ethically grounded models. To situate these reforms in a broader perspective, the article compares developments in China with experiences in the United States, Germany, and Finland. These comparative insights reveal different institutional pathways toward integrating practice-based training: the U.S. emphasis on clinical education and structured reflection, Germany's apprenticeship model through the Referendariat, and Finland's student-centred, problem-based pedagogy. Despite variations, a common trajectory emerges in the convergence toward cultivating reflective practitioners equipped with professional competence, ethical awareness, and civic responsibility. By embedding experiential education into both national reforms and global debates on sustainable development, the study highlights how legal education can function as a lever for professional identity formation, institutional capacity-building, and inclusive justice. In this sense, China's experience contributes to a comparative dialogue on how legal education systems worldwide can advance the SDGs through transformative learning.