Retired judge uses mediation to save marriages

A 75-year-old retired judge in Hunan province has prevented the breakup of more than 1,000 families in the past 14 years through his work as a volunteer mediator.

Xie Maoxiang retired in 2003 as associate presiding judge of the Dapu court in Hunan's Hengdong county.

But he did not leave the court to enjoy a leisurely retirement. Instead, he offered to work for free as a mediator to relieve the pressure on local judicial resources.

The court, where Xie had been working since 1982, has only five employees now, but it serves a population of 260,000. The situation was even worse when he was about to retire.

"There were only three staff members at the court then, but lots of lawsuits," he said, adding that his experience as a grassroots judge was an advantage in mediation.

He has since devoted his time to the mediation of marital discord to prevent it from turning into divorce, which would result in more court cases. Xie, who cycles to work on weekdays, likened marital discord to the mechanical problems on a well-used bicycle and said both can be repaired.

He Yueying, a resident of Fengshan village, said her family was grateful for Xie's hard work. Eight years ago, she had a dispute with her husband and almost got divorced. Xie cycled for almost an hour along the muddy road to the couple's house to talk them out of the decision. After several visits, the quarreling couple were reconciled.

"My life would be not as blissful now were it not for Xie," she said.

Wen Yanping, the court's presiding judge, said Xie was patient about the mediation and his hard work had won him esteem.

"At least a third of the quarreling couples go home after mediation, and many have dropped divorce cases after Xie's efforts," she said.

Even though he has been working at the court for 35 years, Xie shows no sign of slowing down.

"I will stick to my post as long as my physical condition allows," he said.