People-oriented thought is a valuable spiritual wealth in China's ancient political and legal thoughts, and a remarkable feature of Chinese civilization, which has had a far-reaching impact on China's traditional legal culture. The thought of attaching importance to people, which originated in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, is the source of people-oriented thought. Due to the appearance of the concept of "virtue" in the Western Zhou Dynasty, the God factor in political, legal and cultural life has dropped to the lowest point, and the moral requirements of people, especially rulers, have been greatly improved. The humanistic characteristics of "ritual and music civilization" have developed into people-oriented thought with China characteristics. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, hundred schools of thought, especially hundred schools of thought, represented by Confucianism, Legalism, Taoism and Mohism, expounded people-oriented thought according to their respective social ideals, which promoted the theorization and systematization of people-oriented thought. The representatives of the four schools all put forward their own people-oriented thoughts from different angles. Confucianism adheres to the unity of people-oriented and monarch-oriented, advocates "benevolent governance" and "rule by virtue", and vigorously advocates making profits for the people. Legalists, on the other hand, believe that only through legal means can a benign society be realized, emphasizing that monarchs and subjects should abide by the law in the national policy of agricultural warfare and realize the interests of the people. Taoism opposes the war from the height of "law and nature" and advocates the inaction politics of "saints are impermanent and people's hearts are at heart", while Mohism advocates that both the monarch and the people are equal before "heaven", allowing talented people to participate in the discussion of state affairs and cherish the people's strength.

Through comparative study, we believe that:

First, the people-oriented thought is the summary and sublimation of China's ancient political wisdom and ruling experience.

Second, people-oriented and monarch-oriented are the unity of opposites. In the ancient political laws of China, the people should serve the monarch, but the monarch should always obey the people.

Thirdly, there is a consistent ideological basis behind the different political opinions of the philosophers in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period-people-oriented thought, which led to the confluence of Confucianism and law after the Han Dynasty;

Fourthly, the tradition of "governing the people" caused by people-oriented in ancient times is an important factor to promote the ethical characteristics of traditional laws in China.

Since the Western Han Dynasty, people-oriented thought has been combined with China monarchy, which has played a certain historical role in easing autocratic rule. With the invasion of the west, the ancient people-oriented thought played a bridge role between democracy and civil rights. The influence of people-oriented thought on traditional law is as follows: from the guiding ideology of law, people-oriented thought makes the Confucianism of law and "morality dominating punishment assisting" an inevitable choice; From the legislative point of view, the law-making under the guidance of people-oriented thinking is that the legal provisions are simplified, the administrative power is not divided from the judicial power, and the administrative power is greater than the judicial power; Judging from the judicial practice, the proposition of cautious punishment and severe punishment appears at the same time, the people's awareness of rights is weak, and the civil law is backward. As a political culture in China's traditional culture, ancient people-oriented thought represents the oriental thinking method of coordination theory.