How did the number of legal professionals in China grow after the late 1970s?

Following the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, China possessed fewer than 3,000 lawyers, all of whom had been trained over a decade earlier. Recognizing that a market-oriented economy required a significantly larger core of legally trained intermediaries, Chinese leadership initiated an ambitious program to train hundreds of thousands of legal professionals.1

This expansion was rapid and multifaceted:

• Lawyers and Paraprofessionals: By the first decade of the 21st century, the number of lawyers grew to nearly 200,000, complemented by approximately 100,000 "basic-level legal workers"—paraprofessionals who assist citizens with legal interactions and simple issues.1
• Education: The number of institutions offering law degrees increased dramatically, with more than 600 schools providing such programs by the early 21st century.1
• Bar Examination: The scale of professional entry became substantial, with an average of more than 230,000 candidates sitting for the bar exam annually during that same period.1

Three decades after the reforms began, China had developed one of the world’s largest legal professions, marking an exponential expansion since 1980.12