Dispute resolution system sees high success rate

Experience shared

The success of the "Fengqiao model" extends beyond Yiwu to Weizhou island in Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. This popular tourist destination, which attracts millions of visitors annually, faces numerous travel-related disputes, with more than 80 percent of them involving prepayment and operational issues.

In 2020, the local authorities established a conflict resolution service center, which has achieved a dispute resolution rate of 94.85 percent. The number of cases handled by the local court has consistently fallen each year.

Su Youfeng, 37, a meditator at the center for more than two years, has witnessed a significant rise in the number of cases, especially during peak tourism periods such as the National Day holiday. As of last month, the center had handled more than 1,000 cases this year.

A recent case involved a tourist booking a hotel online but encountering problems on arrival. The tourist and hotel operator disagreed on the cancellation policy, as the visitor sought a full refund. After an hour of on-site negotiations, a compromise was reached, with the tourist compensating the hotel.

Disputes are often initially handled at the center, where mediators listen to parties' needs, and conduct mediation and negotiations, Su said, adding that business violations are transferred to local administrative departments for investigation.

"Successful mediation often requires patience and impartiality. If we do our job properly, a significant proportion of conflicts can be resolved on site," she said.

Su emphasizes the importance of psychological resilience for a mediator. She acknowledges that some complaints arise from poor services, so a mediator must maintain legal and regulatory standards to ensure fairness in addressing the root cause of disputes.

"We need to balance the interests of tourists and merchants, and consider reasonable arguments in mediation. Sometimes, both parties accuse us of taking sides, but there is no need for us to do so. Merchants aim to make money, tourists visit areas for leisure purposes, while our goal is to tackle disputes quickly to benefit both parties," she said. Some merchants and tourists who fail to strike an agreement after mediation turn to the judicial procedure, she added.

However, Su said numerous disputes related to tourism cannot simply be resolved through litigation due to the complexity of such cases. In addition, there are no specific measures for many issues, such as the amount that needs to be paid as a fine or refunded for a hotel checkout.

As a result, most disputes are resolved based on trade rules, established experience and mutual willingness via mediation, she said.

He Yanling, a professor at Renmin University of China's School of Public Administration and Policy, sees the "Fengqiao model" as a 60-year-old methodology for grassroots social governance in China.

In various local practices, the authorities and public not only simply replicate the original experiences of Fengqiao township, Zhejiang, but adapt them to local conditions to provide a modern governance approach tailored to the grassroots in China, He said.