The changing face of China's legal system

An overview of some of the reforms undertaken since pilot programs were introduced last year:

In November, the Beijing Intellectual Property Court was established. One month later, IP courts were also established in Shanghai and Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province.

In late January, two circuit courts were opened under the Supreme People's Court - one in Shenyang, Liaoning province, the other in Shenzhen, Guangdong. Residents of the regions and areas under the courts' jurisdiction can lodge appeals with them instead of traveling to Beijing, where the country's top court is located. The new courts will also help to spread the workload for top judges.