Chongqing- "The villagers are relatively less educated nor aware of the legal system. If the village could have a special mediation place to help resolve disputes, there would not be so many conflicts," said Xie Linkun, first secretary of the Nanmu Village, Wulong District, Chongqing. 

As a police officer of the Criminal Investigation Branch of Jiangbei District Public Security Bureau, Xie came to Nanmu Village in May 2021, becoming the first secretary in the village. His key responsibilities involve improving governance and services for rural residents.

China has continued to select the first secretaries and teams for key villages. Village first secretaries and officials play a vital role in implementing poverty alleviation policies, promoting rural revitalization, building strong primary-level organizations, and serving the people. 

Xie Linkun helps and guides villagers on how to expand the sales of agricultural products. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

Advance the rule of law into the village

Since Xie's stay, he has coped with all sorts of conflicts among villagers. Once a pair of brothers quarreled over land division and finally reached a reconciliation under a mediation led by him. 

Dealing with this matter, Xie was inspired to build a Rule of Law Courtyard that integrates law publicity and conflict mediation. Thus, he engaged in the whole process of making it, from preparation and site selection to functional division, hardware procurement, and signboard production.  

On the first opening day of the law courtyard, all the villagers came and praised it after seeing the people's mediation room, the hall promoting the Chinese nation's traditional virtues, and a series of rules that advocate civilized behavior to build a better home. 

Since then, the law courtyard has had the relevant staff on duty daily. Xie regularly conducts legal knowledge training to make the mediation process more standardized and fair. 

"Through the rule of law in the village, both people's legal literacy and social harmony in a community have been effectively improved, while the progress of rural revitalization has been guaranteed," said Xie. "The common wealth of material and spirit is the real prosperity."

A corner of the law courtyard in the Nanmu Village. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

Security measures for villagers' safety

"What I did on the first day at the village was to walk through every household. Since I'm here, I must solve the people's practical difficulties," said Xie.

Another important thing he did was to expand the economic benefits of agricultural products and increase the villager's income. 

To do that, Xie and his team started using a special mini-program on Wechat, a new feature that allows an individual or group to live stream videos directly from a WeChat account. Cooperating with e-commerce platforms, the village's goods can be sold online.

For more than a year, Xie's team has helped villages sell agricultural goods totaling more than 100,000 yuan, mobilizing the farmers' enthusiasm to develop their industries. 

Meanwhile, Xie shares his experiences as a police officer to increase technological security measures in the village, like setting up monitoring facilities in the public, such as the main intersections and control points, to ensure the villagers' safety.