Ma Shanxiang works in Guanyinqiao Subdistrict, Liangjiang New Area, southwest China's Chongqing, June 17, 2026. (Photo/Xinhua)
Chongqing - Ma Shanxiang, a veteran grassroots mediator from Chongqing, was awarded the July 1 Medal in Beijing on July 1 during a ceremony marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Ma, 70, has spent more than three decades resolving disputes and serving residents in Guanyinqiao Subdistrict, where local people commonly call him “Lao Ma,” a familiar Chinese nickname based on his surname. He has been a CPC member for 47 years and is known for patient listening, detailed documentation and practical negotiation in community-level mediation.
Over the past 30 years, Ma has received more than 20,000 visits from residents and mediated over 2,500 disputes, ranging from neighborhood and family conflicts to property management issues and public facility use. Local officials and residents say his approach has helped many disputes reach negotiated settlements before they escalate.
Drawing on decades of frontline experience, Ma developed what Chongqing calls the “Lao Ma Method.” At its core, the method is straightforward: mediators should stay calm even when residents are emotional, listen carefully, record their concerns and guide different sides toward practical solutions.
The method has since expanded beyond Ma himself. The Lao Ma Studio was established in 2012, and Ma began mentoring younger community workers from that time. In 2021, the mentoring program was introduced into more communities. Chongqing now has more than 3,000 community workstations under the program, with more than 80,000 trained grassroots workers and volunteers carrying forward his approach.
One example is Ding Xuejiao, Party secretary of Pengrun Lanhai Community in Guanyinqiao Subdistrict. Ding said she initially handled disputes mainly by citing legal provisions, but later learned from Ma that mediation also requires repairing relationships. “The Lao Ma Method goes beyond legal boundaries; it also seeks to repair relationships between people, which requires greater patience and understanding,” she said. Ding now applies the method in daily community work.
Although Ma retired in 2016, he has not left the front line. He returned to the Lao Ma Studio after retiring and continued to receive residents, mediate disputes, write notes, and mentor younger workers. He has described grassroots mediation as a long-term relay, saying the skills and responsibility of serving residents should be passed from one generation of community workers to the next.
Ma’s recognition with the July 1 Medal highlights the role of community-level mediation in grassroots governance, where early dispute resolution and local public services are seen as important to maintaining social stability and improving daily life in urban neighborhoods.
(Lu Wangqing, as an intern, also contributed to the report)