On the Frontline of Mediation, Wang Lixia Often Needs to Listen to Trivial Family Matters, Face the Vicissitudes of Human Relationships, and Frequently Endure the Grievances of Being Misunderstood. However, Every Time She Resolves a Conflict or Dispute, It’s a Moment When Her Sense of Accomplishment “Explodes”.
Born in 1982, Wang Lixia is the Vice President of the Yangpu District People’s Mediation Association in Shanghai and the Director of the Yangpu Bingzhirong Legal Service Center. Fourteen years ago, Wang Lixia stepped into the role of a people’s mediator, becoming what Shanghai residents call a “matchmaker aunt”. After entering the community grassroots, she discovered that there were so many disputes in the community and realized the importance of people’s mediation work. So, she began to study law on her own and has been rooted in the frontline for more than ten years.
From being a grassroots mediator in a neighborhood justice office to establishing a social mediation organization to carry out professional and industry-specific mediation work, “being able to receive a ‘thank you’ from the parties through my own efforts is the motivation for me to continue persevering.”
Nowadays, the mediation team led by Wang Lixia is focused on resolving grassroots disputes, while also conducting legal publicity, dispute resolution, and public interest legal services in areas such as creating a law-based business environment, harmonious doctor-patient relationships, building happy families, protecting the rights of women and children, and assisting and supporting the disabled. They have used diverse models such as “online + offline” and a combination of mediation and prevention to address and resolve over 30,000 conflicts and disputes, striving to build a solid “first line of defense” for social stability.
Finding a Breakthrough in the “Daughter Battle” Between Divorcing Couples to Prevent “Civil to Criminal” Escalation
Among the many disputes mediated, the visitation dispute involving the girl Tongtong (a pseudonym) left a particularly profound impression on her.
In May 2020, Wang Lixia met with Tongtong’s mother, who was anxious. She told Wang Lixia that she and her husband had separated, and the divorce petition had been submitted to the court but had not yet been heard. Their daughter Tongtong was living with the father’s family, and according to the agreement, the mother should pick up the child on weekends, but the father refused. Wang Lixia learned that the two parties had had multiple conflicts over the child, and the mother had even called 110 for help. However, faced with the father’s refusal to open the door, the police were also helpless.
Wang Lixia said, “If such a situation is not handled properly, it could lead to the intensification of conflicts and may even escalate into violent incidents such as ‘civil to criminal’ cases.” Wang Lixia carefully reviewed the case and found that the couple originally had a happy marriage. The wife initiated the divorce due to perceived emotional breakdown, and the husband agreed to the divorce on the principle of parting on good terms. However, they could not reach a consensus on child custody and property, so the wife filed a lawsuit in court. This action angered the husband, leading to the situation where he hid the child and prevented the wife from visiting.
As a mother herself, Wang Lixia understood the indispensable role of a mother in a child’s growth. She also saw that the father just wanted to obtain custody of the child by hiding her. Fortunately, both parents loved their daughter deeply, which was a key breakthrough.
After multiple phone communications, Wang Lixia arranged for both parties to have an on-site mediation, starting from issues such as their post-marital life, property situation, and their daughter’s daily life. Under Wang Lixia’s persuasion, the father finally agreed to resume the previous agreement mode, and both parties reached a mediation agreement.
However, marital and family disputes are often fraught with twists and turns. On the night before the wife was scheduled to visit, Wang Lixia suddenly received a phone call from the father reneging on the mediation plan. His reason was simple: he was worried that the wife would do the same thing he did previously and prevent him from visiting their daughter after she got the child. To alleviate his concerns, Wang Lixia immediately stated, “I’ll come with the wife!” The next morning, she accompanied the wife to pick up the child and accompanied her to return the child on Sunday evening.
Wang Lixia’s patience and kindness impressed both parties. Ultimately, under her coordination, both parties abandoned the lawsuit and went to the Civil Administration Bureau to complete the divorce procedures with the agreement drafted by Wang Lixia. The entire mediation process not only resolved the family dispute but also avoided the litigation burden for both parties.
At the end of May 2020, the 4-year-old girl Tongtong finally saw her mother. Prior to this, she had not seen her mother for nearly half a year.
The Women’s Federation Participates in Collaborative Mediation Among Three Institutions
From Fighting Alone to Collaborative Mediation, Expanding the “Circle of Friends” for Dispute Resolution
When encountering thorny issues, Wang Lixia always summarizes her experience, combines emotion with law, and forms her own set of efficient mediation methods. She analyzes cases and weighs the pros and cons from the unique perspective of a female mediator, often achieving the effect of overcoming “rigidity” with “softness”. A medical compensation dispute that lasted for more than ten years was also resolved under her mediation.
In 2009, a patient was hospitalized for kidney colic and underwent surgery. After the surgery, the patient experienced hematuria and daily abdominal pain. Negotiations with the hospital for compensation failed, and the patient occupied a hospital bed for ten years. Despite multiple mediations, the dispute remained unresolved. Now, the patient has developed paranoid schizophrenia, and their behavior affects the diagnosis and treatment of other patients.
“The patient doesn’t leave the hospital, and the hospital doesn’t pay compensation. What should we do?” This became a difficult problem for Wang Lixia to face. So, she organized a mediation team consisting of mediators, public interest lawyers, and medical experts.
Wang Lixia mainly used emotional persuasion, urging both the patient and the hospital to make concessions. The patient was first transferred to a branch hospital for treatment while the dispute was resolved concurrently. The lawyers provided legal safeguards throughout the process, explaining the law and addressing doubts. At the same time, medical experts were invited to conduct medical behavior assessments, and on this basis, a scientific compensation plan was formulated.
After half a year of repeated mediation and communication, the hospital finally agreed to handle the outstanding medical fees and medical dispute compensation together, providing reasonable compensation to the patient. The patient also agreed to leave the hospital and return home for recuperation, thus resolving the dispute that had lasted for more than ten years.
Since 2023, Wang Lixia has undertaken the “Women’s Rights Protection Station Project” of the Municipal Women’s Federation, providing legal consultation, conflict resolution, women’s rights protection, and other universal rights protection services for women and children with professional strength, and establishing a collaborative mechanism involving multiple forces.
Wang Lixia also handled a dispute involving a teenage girl who came to Shanghai from another place and attempted suicide due to a long-term lack of family care. Wang Lixia collaborated with people’s mediators, psychological consultants, and youth social workers to form a “three-expert team”: the psychological consultant provided psychological counseling and stress relief for the girl; the mediator intervened to resolve family conflicts and repair family relationships; the youth social worker guided the girl to participate in public welfare activities and integrate into society. Ultimately, they helped the girl emerge from the shadows and abandon her suicidal thoughts.
Legal Publicity and Education
Besides, adhering to the concept that “every mediation is a legal publicity and education campaign”, Wang Lixia integrates legal publicity and education into the resolution of conflicts and disputes, promoting the organic fusion of conflict resolution and legal publicity and education. She has conducted over 160 public interest legal publicity activities, effectively raising residents’ awareness of laws and regulations and enhancing the influence of legal publicity and education.