Modern legal education began in China late in the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), and then expanded during the period of the Republic of China from 1912. With the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, legal education entered a new and difficult period. The compilation of English language materials offered here includes a few materials relating to the Qing and Republican periods, but after 1949 only materials relating to the People's Republic of China (mainland China). Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan all have separate legal education systems and structures, and are excluded from this compilation.