Shandong district innovates in rural management

Liujiamiao villagers read publicity materials. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Liujiamiao village in Laiwu district, Jinan, Shandong province, has developed an innovative four-pronged method of rural governance, with each element designed to more effectively integrate the resources of different parties.

The first element is "walking", suggesting the benefits making personal visits. A management and service team consisting of village officials, policemen, and volunteers has been formed to visit local villagers in a bid to learn about the difficulties they face and assist them in solving them.

The second guiding principle is "publicity". Under this point of emphasis, brochures are distributed and lectures are held to familiarize locals with laws, while general knowledge regarding law is shared to a WeChat group that contains Liujiamiao villagers, helping them develop familiarity with the rule of law.

The third prong in Lujiamiao's approach, "mediation", calls for a management and service team to assist in settling disputes. Neighborhood clashes, unpaid wage complaints, and labor disputes are collected during daily visits, over WeChat, and via reports.

The fourth element of "return visits" is a natural counterpart to mediation. The assigned team will pay a return visit to review solved disputes and learn the thoughts of involved villagers to ensure such disputes will not come into being again.

To date, Liujiamiao village officials have distributed over 600 publicity materials, checked over 200 local households in the renovation of dilapidated buildings and restrooms, and settled 13 disputes. (Edited by Gong Jun)