'Countryside judge' offers helping hand during legal disputes

Yang Binsheng helps to mediate a case in Luxi county, Jiangxi province. Provided to China Daily

Yang insists a sense of responsibility is a key to the success of mediation. "You must take their business as your own to win people's trust."

Meanwhile, Yang has used his knowledge of law to safeguard the rights of local farmers who work in the cities. He has helped various groups of migrant workers retrieve 35 million yuan ($5.7 million) in cases of back wages due, work-related injury or death, and traffic accidents.

"Many of them know little about law and legal procedures and couldn't afford lawyers," Yang says.

In 2008, a local woman surnamed Chen who was working on a construction site in Xiamen, Fujian province, had an accident and was paralyzed after falling down from the building.

Her contractor refused to compensate. Chen's family couldn't afford the hospital fee and sought help from Yang.

The contractor hid and dodged Yang for days, but Yang's persistence paid off at last. He finally found the contractor's head office and negotiated with the company owner. Faced with the law and the facts, the company agreed to provide a total compensation of 330,000 yuan as medical fees and invalid-care allowance.

Now Yang finds himself on the phone often, patiently explaining the regular procedures and compensation standards in different provinces to locals who have left to work in cities.

When he learned that Jiang Xiaofeng, a 34-year-old local farmer, struggled with taking care of her two children and her husband's ailing father after her husband was put in prison, Yang volunteered his help.

Yang not only provided his vacant house in his home village for Jiang's family, but also found her a cooking job at a nearby kindergarten. Yang and his wife often visit them on festivals and Yang even bought a small TV set for her children, Jiang adds.

Yang was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2011. But he rushed to the site of a new dispute on the day he returned from two chemotherapy treatments.

A child suffering from a hernia had died due to careless treatment. The child's grieving families caused a disturbance in the hospital, demanding a reasonable compensation.

Despite being weary from his chemotherapy, Yang kept moving and talking, refusing to take a rest until the case was settled at 5 the next morning.

Yang, who later depended on herbal medicines, turned down his wife's suggestion of taking a rest - refusing a holiday in a recuperation center. "I can eat and talk. Why would I idle around there? I felt it's worse than being ill," he says.

Yang has received dozens of honors over the years, but he believes a good result from his mediation is the most exciting thing.

"Nothing makes me happier than seeing my work has effectively healed people's relationships and prevented things from getting worse," he says.