How can good governance be developed in rural China?
如何构建乡村善治新格局？

Due to the loss of village elites, a challenge for local governance in rural China is that the vast majority of governing subjects are elderly people, women, children, and other marginalized groups. This case presents some successful attempts made by Yongchuan District of Chongqing City to address this challenge. From 2015 to 2018, the district has developed a modern mode of good rural governance, the mode that consists of 107 "Xiangxianpinglitang" - meaning adjudication hall of "xiangxian". As the name suggests, all members of these halls are "xiangxian".
在广大的乡村地区，长期居住的人口是以老人、妇女、儿童以及其他弱势群体为主，有能力有才干的精英人口流失严重，这导致了农村社会治理主体弱化。为了在基层善治体系中构建“自治、法治、德治”的局面，重庆市永川区克服人才稀缺的困难，开启了基层社会治理创新的尝试。2015年至2018年，重庆市在新乡贤群体中提炼了具有法治基础的代表，分三个阶段最终建立了107个“乡贤评理堂”，构建现代化基层治理新模式。

"Xiangxianpinglitang" as developed in this case has attempted to approach self-governance of the village mainly in three ways. The first attempt is to let some "xiangxian" assume the responsibilities for publicizing legal knowledge and making decisions as an independent third party after considering claims of both parties in a specific conflict. In so doing, "Xiangxianpinglitang" is presented as a type of judicial mechanism for upholding equality and justice. The second attempt is to let those "xiangxian" who are highly respected by villagers to maintain social order and good traditions. In this sense, "Xiangxianpinglitang" also continues China's traditional practices associated with rule of virtue. For example, Xiangjie Lv, a 74-year-old "xiangxian" adjudicator of Laodianzi Compound, often teaches some traditional family rules at many gatherings in the local community. The third attempt is to let villagers select some "xiangxian" adjudicators through competitive elections. These adjudicators tend to carry out their tasks more effectively largely due to close connections with and support from the people in the local community.
重庆市永川区构建的“乡贤评理堂”，主要通过三种方式达到基层自治的目标。第一种是让乡贤评理员成为普法宣传员和人民调解员，推动“乡贤评理堂”成为维护公平正义的法治平台。第二种是让德高望重的乡贤评理员来维护公序良俗，如老店子大院的乡贤评理员——74岁的吕祥杰，他在家庭团拜会上传播和美家风的家规家训，使“乡贤评理堂”成为深化德治的重要窗口。第三种是从群众当中选出乡贤评理员，在乡村治理中能有效发挥乡贤评理员进得了家门、坐得下板凳、拉得上家常、建得起感情的优势。

This case shows that "Xiangxianpinglitang" can be conceived of as a local governance mode that integrates rule of law, rule of virtue, and self-governance in rural China. This mode has resulted from a process of modernizing, systematizing, and institutionalizing China's traditional cultural practices associated with "xiangxian". "Xiangxianpinglitang" is also a local governance mode oriented toward greater participation of "xiangxian" in the process of creating social orders in Chinese villages. It is not only innovative but also can be replicated in similar contexts.
通过“乡贤评理堂”的成功开展，作者可以得出以下的启发。首先，“乡贤评理堂”可以使得农村社会传统自治延续；其次，“乡贤评理堂”能够有效降低农村矛盾纠纷化解的各项成本；再次，“乡贤评理堂”还是乡风文明的加油站。综上，我们可知打造以乡贤评理堂为核心的基层治理模式，是将德治、自治和法治融合为前提，对传统的乡贤文化进行时代化、制度化、系统化的新模式。其具有相当的创新性和可复制性，既是践行社会主义核心价值观的有效途径，也是构建法治乡村的有益探索，是一种以“乡贤登场”参与“乡村秩序生成”的治理取向。</p>