Character evidence has always been an important concept in common
law evidence, and the rules of character evidence that have developed around
it have become an unassailable, yet controversial, presence in the common law
system, both in theoretical and pragmatic circles. Character evidence can appear
as evidence in extraterritorial codes mainly because of its relevance to the case.
In contrast, the concept of character evidence is not clearly defined in China’s
legislation, or in civil law systems, but the spirit of the character evidence rule is
either explicit or implicit in the relevant legal norms and judicial practice, and
the existence of character evidence can be glimpsed in some scattered and vague
legal provisions. Should China give a corresponding and strict orientation to the
legal text of character evidence and the application of this rule. While analysing
the development of the rules of character evidence in the common law system
and comparing and learning from the excellent experience of foreign laws, we
explore the principles and rules system of the application of character evidence
in line with the Chinese situation.