Wang Junsi, head of an office of justice located in Luhe District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province in east China, usually receives five batches of people a day seeking his help. "I like to see them leave my office feeling happy, satisfied with solutions to their problems," Wang told Beijing Review.

Thanks to his solid professional knowledge and the study of many disputes, no case can stump Wang in the eyes of local residents. His work acumen also comes from his understanding of the place he serves. "The Yeshan sub-district covers an area of nearly 105 square km, with eight villages and a population of 48,000," he said.

Every week, he visits all the villages in the area and communicates with villagers. This way, he can understand people's needs better and deliver legal services to the community. Over the past 25 years, plenty of opportunities for promotion have knocked on his door but he has stuck to his work. "I can realize my value here," Wang said, adding that people's appreciation is good enough for him. Nevertheless, he has received various honors and awards for his passionate work.

Wang said he thinks that along with the development of the economy and society, the Chinese should learn about the law in order to embrace a better life and work style. That's where the office of justice comes in.

Community-level judicial officers like Wang also conduct mediation, popularize the law, and provide services such as educating released prisoners and persons completing community correction and helping them re-enter society. The office is the most basic part of China's judicial administration system.

Fresh strategies

For judicial workers at the community level, how to publicize the law among the public remains a key question. Wang said that the crucial point is to make residents aware of the importance of law in their daily lives.

Luhe is famous for its peasant paintings depicting the life, traditions and natural scenery of its rural area. Such paintings, with bright colors and untethered composition that often outstrip the limitation of conventional art, are popular with local people. Wang had the idea that the art form could be used as a platform for law education. With easy-to-understand advantages, this method can inspire people to learn since they are the ones who create the artwork.

A project inspired by the idea was launched in 2006.

Under the project, farmers first go through law classes provided by Wang and his team. Then they are encouraged to paint about what they have learned. All the paintings are exhibited in the communities and are also developed into other cultural products, such as calendars, post-it notes, T-shirts and cloth bags. When people use these items, awareness of the law is strengthened.

Today, the combination of peasant paintings and law promotion has become a golden business card for the Yeshan sub-district and Luhe as a whole, an example of successful fusion between the law and local culture.

Performances by folk artists in different dialects are also held in various communities to enhance people's knowledge of the law, breathing life into abstract concepts. People are warned of illegal ruses, such as telecom fraud, pyramid schemes and unlawful fundraising, with proper countermeasures provided.

"When designing the shows, we give priority to people's interests and their ability to absorb information," Wang said, adding that the most popular ones are those related to daily life and work.

Thus, content is adjusted according to community circumstances. For instance, in areas where fraud is common, the show will focus on such cases, except for special occasions, such as festivals.

"Before migrant workers leave hometown to find work after Spring Festival, we organize them to study labor law and tell them how to protect their rights and interests," Wang said.

Centers for all

"Currently, we have a legal service center in the Yeshan sub-district, supported by eight workstations located in each village," Wang said.

The function of the centers is to tell villagers where to go, who to contact or what to do to seek justice, and give them other detailed information. "For example, if it is necessary, we can recommend lawyers in the sub-district to residents, which means residents can have their problems solved without leaving this building," Wang said, pointing to the service desks of lawyers.

In addition, legal advisers have been hired to answer people's questions at any time on several WeChat groups, where residents can communicate and exchange views. This measure was put in place to make sure people are provided with assistance and services in a timely manner.

Sound public legal services guarantee the progress of the rule of law. Data released by the Ministry of Justice in February 2019 said there are over 2,900 public judicial service centers at the county level and nearly 40,000 workstations, respectively covering 99.97 percent of all counties and 96.79 percent of all townships and urban sub-districts. In addition, some 650,000 villages have legal advisers.

Wang has found that more people are starting to use the law to solve disputes. For him, this change is a reward of being a judicial worker, and a contribution to the modernization of social governance.

(Yu Jingyao from the Justice Bureau of Luhe District in Nanjing contributed to this article)

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo

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