China · Courts
Court structure of China
Every tier of the judiciary, what it hears, and where an appeal goes next.
The hierarchy, top to bottom
- Final appellate — Supreme People's Court
- Sits in Beijing with six circuit courts; also issues binding judicial interpretations.
- Appellate — Higher People's Courts
- One per province, autonomous region and directly administered municipality.
- Intermediate — Intermediate People's Courts
- Appeals from basic courts and first instance in serious or high-value cases.
- First instance — Basic People's Courts
- The great majority of cases, with people's tribunals at township level.
- Specialist — Intellectual property, financial, maritime and internet courts
- Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou IP courts; Hangzhou, Beijing and Guangzhou internet courts.
Every court in the hierarchy
- supremeBeijingSupreme People's CourtFinal appeals and retrials from the higher people's courts, mandatory review of all death sentences, trial of cases of national significance, and the issuing of judicial interpretations binding on all lower courts.
- appellateProvincial capitalsHigher People's CourtsAppeals from intermediate people's courts, first-instance trial of the most serious provincial-level cases, and review of death sentences before they are referred to the Supreme People's Court.
- first-instancePrefecture-level citiesIntermediate People's CourtsFirst-instance trial of serious criminal cases including those carrying capital punishment, higher-value civil and commercial claims, foreign-related and maritime matters, and appeals from basic people's courts.
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