Ma Shanxiang, a mediator praised by President Xi

For many Chinese people, the reforms of past decades have brought radical changes to their lives. Inevitably rapid social change can bring people into conflict.

CRI’s Min Rui has been to meet a social worker in Chongqing City, in Southwest China, who’s developed an outstanding career as a conflict mediator.

If you go to Chongqing’s Jiang Bei Guan Yin Street, you’re likely to hear people in the neighborhood say “If you are looking for a good mediator, then Ma Shanxiang is the right choice.”

“My name is Ma Shanxiang. I am in charge of a mediating workshop. I’ve been doing this for the past 30 years. I have 160 notebooks filled with cases, and I have found more than 60 strategies to mediate conflicts”

Ma became a mediator in 1988 after being discharged from the army. Warm hearted, polite, patient, always to the point – these are words used to describe Ma by the people involved in the cases he deals with.

From family disputes, unpaid wages, to issues arising from demolition and relocation, Ma tries his best to fix them all.

“We encounter people’s conflicts all the time. Like demolition and relocation, urban management, disputes between property management companies and residents, and conflicts within families. These problems all require specific skill sets to mediate and to talk through”, Ma said.

Ma says problems can only be solved by a good understanding of the whole picture and by walking in the shoes of the people involved, and that he and his colleagues seek to promote harmony in the development process.

Serve the People – isn’t just a slogan for him, but a way of life.

In 2018, Ma Shanxiang was among a few officials who won national awards for outstanding work at community level and his dedication was praised by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Ma credits his success to the cause of ‘serving the people’ as championed by the ruling Communist Party of China, or the CPC.

“As a Communist Party member, I have a firm faith in the party and a keen sense of the people I serve. I know I am welcomed everywhere”, Ma said.

Under the leadership of the CPC, China is aiming to put the people first in its development process, by increasing their benefits, ensuring they are their own masters, and supporting development in an all-round way.

In this fast-changing era, millions of community level officials like Ma across China are working to better meet the needs of the people. In their eyes, matters relating to the people are far from trivial, and regardless of whether their concerns are big or small, all should be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.