Lawmakers are discussing the first draft of legislation that would gather the laws related to issues such as property, inheritance and the conduct of businesses under a unified framework. Cao Yin reports.

As he held up the draft of the general provisions for China's first civil code, Sun Xianzhong felt a huge sense of achievement.

The draft, which is currently being discussed by the nation's top legislative and political advisory bodies, and the civil code it will foster are long-held dreams for Sun, a deputy to the National People's Congress and a research fellow at the law institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.