Innovative mediation helps resolve disputes

An innovative "menu-style" model for mediating and resolving disputes developed in Yanchuan county of Yan'an, Shaanxi province, has proved effective to "turn hostility into harmony".

A team of 760 skilled dispute mediators — including officials, lawmakers, policy advisers, and respected elders and capable villagers — was established in 2022.

Profiles of team members are filed and categorized based on their professional expertise, standing among residents and the type of disputes they specialize in, such as marriage and family, land ownership, labor relations and debts, creating an open "mediation menu". This menu is accessible to the public through channels such as official WeChat accounts, self-service legal terminals and notice boards.

"When residents encounter disputes, they can 'order' mediators of their choice. We also take the initiative to deliver on-site mediation services through conflict inspections," said Han Yongxing, secretary of the county's political and legal affairs committee.

The mediation mechanism addresses all kinds of conflicts, ranging from complicated land occupation disputes over construction projects to trivial neighborhood issues.

Half a month ago, villager Miao Wenhui held a funeral for a family member. Local customs dictate that an ancestral tomb housing three generations of relatives qualifies as a complete family burial plot.

Two generations of Miao's ancestors were already buried right alongside the edge of the orchard road belonging to Miao Wensheng. When burying the third generation family member, Miao Wenhui had no choice but to build the grave mound on the orchard road, blocking the passage and disrupting orchard operations.

The two sides discussed rerouting the orchard road. However, the new route would encroach on the orchard of a third villager and incur construction costs, besides requiring trimming the branches of several fruit trees. Disagreements erupted over how to compensate the third party and how to split the associated costs.

Gao Houlei, deputy town chief of Wen'anyi and someone whom they both trust, was chosen as the mediator. He began by invoking neighborhood kinship, saying "funeral rites and orchard production are both vital matters". He helped both parties tally up the tangible financial costs and weigh the intangible interpersonal goodwill at stake. Eventually, the two reached a consensus on the compensation plan.

Han added that when planning mediation work, they follow the sequence of law, logic and human feelings. "When mediating disputes on-site, we take the opposite approach: empathy first, then logic, and law. Villagers value human connections. Once their frustration is soothed, most disputes are easy to settle," he said.

In April, Zhang Xiaolin from Taixiangsi village watched anxiously as water leaked into his cave dwelling through pipelines privately modified by his neighbor. Locked in a fierce quarrel, Zhang Xiaolin selected Zhang Haojie, a mediator familiar with village affairs, via the village's mediation service menu.

Zhang Haojie sat both families down and said, "You are lifelong neighbors who cross paths every day; it is not worth ruining your good relations over such a trivial matter." That afternoon, the neighbor rerouted the pipelines, eliminating the water seepage hazard. During a follow-up visit, Zhang Xiaolin smiled and said, "The problem is fixed. I'm fully satisfied!"

Han said the system is run under the leadership of the Party, whose members account for a large share of core mediators.

To encourage mediators, local authorities have provided subsidies, grading payments by case complexity, ranging from 100 yuan ($14.8) to 1,000 yuan per case.

Since 2022, the system has resolved 1,942 disputes, with an overall public satisfaction rate of 98.2 percent.

chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn