'Mr Knowledge' promoting legal awareness in rural Shandong county

While resting at home, lawyer Wang Yabin was called back to his office to settle a fight that had broken out in the village.

It transpired after a financial dispute between two villagers had escalated. One threatened to block the entrance to the other's house if his loan was not immediately repaid.

"That move would be in violation of the law," Wang warned the desperate creditor. He then started to explain the relevant laws and regulations, asking both parties to calm down and find a rational way to settle their dispute.

After an hour of mediation with Wang, the two reached a deal, shook hands and left, and the exhausted but relieved lawyer could finally call it a day.

This has been common practice for 43-year-old Wang ever since he began serving as part-time legal counsel in several villages in Jinxiang county, Shandong province, four years ago.

A licensed lawyer at a firm in Jinxiang, Wang joined a program to enhance the presence of law professionals in rural villages that was launched by the provincial government four years ago. Due to a lack of legal awareness and professional assistance, residents there often resort to violent means to resolve civil disputes.

As many farmers are not yet accustomed to seeking advice from lawyers, placing law practitioners nearby is quite effective in preventing impulsive crimes and facilitating dispute settlements, Wang said.

Currently serving nine villages across the county, Wang spends at least 10 days a month in his various village offices. He also regularly communicates with locals through the WeChat social messaging app and responds to emergency calls for help.

"The villagers now call me 'Mr Knowledge' and consult me before getting married, buying a house or borrowing money," Wang said. "I'm always happy to be of service."

One of the country's pioneers in establishing rural legal counsel programs, Shandong has enrolled more than 13,000 lawyers to serve part-time in some 62,000 villages.

This program has always been free for every villager. In 2018, following a proposal from the provincial government, the lawyers started to receive small allowances ranging from 1,500 yuan to 3,000 yuan ($230 to $460) per village per year.

But Wang said the sense of accomplishment he gets from guiding villagers through the world of law cannot be measured by money.

"Being called Mr Knowledge makes me feel as good as winning a case in court," he said. "The occurrence of civil and criminal cases has dropped significantly in the villages I serve, while the villagers' legal awareness is on the rise."

Lawyers like Wang are even involved in the formulation or revision of village regulations and nongovernmental agreements, the most important documents for village self-governance practiced in rural China.

In its efforts to advance law-based governance, the Communist Party of China has attached great importance to enhancing the public's legal awareness and improving legal services for the people.

Liang Zhanguang, deputy head of the political and legal affairs commission of the CPC Shandong provincial committee, said rural governance based on the rule of law can contribute greatly to rural stability and prosperity.

Shandong will continue to build a strong and effective public legal service system in its rural areas and will improve its supporting system by 2022, he said.