Mediators ease court's burden as divorces rise

Hei Yongjun, a resident of Xi'an, Shaanxi province, has been assigned a new role by a district court in the city: to mediate domestic disputes in his community and try to settle them outside the courtroom.

"I rarely connected with the court before, but I've been easing conflicts between family members and neighbors for about seven years," said Hei, of the Hongxing community in the city's Xincheng district.

Hei is one of 111 mediators selected by the court to help reform the handling of domestic disputes.