Ever since China opened up to the world in 1980's, the Shanghai Municipal Government, led by the Communist Party of China and the State Council, makes great effort to build the city into an international economic, financial, trade and shipping center. With the cooperation and hardwork of Shanghai people, the city is progressing to its goal as a global metropolitan. The new team of leaders of the Shanghai government took office in February 2003. "The power of the government is entrusted by the people; the interest of people is above all," as Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng promise in his inaugural. Guided by the Shanghai Party Committee, the city's new leadership vows to strictly perform its official duties; to make significant progress in self-improvement, and to intensify the shift of its role from administrative to public service. The Shanghai government will build itself into a service government that would share with the people all their happiness and troubles; a solid responsible government that is efficient, honest and diligent; a law-abiding government that respects legal system and rules strictly and impartially.

Shanghai initiates the full-scaled work of judicial and ombudsman work comprehensive service windows

02/17/2004

At the beginning of 2000, Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice brought forward working requirement of setting¡°grassroots judicial administration work comprehensive service windows¡±in accordance with the practical and rapidly increasing needs for legal knowledge and services by the grassroots communities. According to that requirement, the all sided¡°service windows¡±building work were launched all over this municipality and legal services work were proactively carried out into the communities by virtue of those¡°service windows¡±. By the end of 2001, Shanghai had set up 73¡°service windows¡±that achieved the initial success in solving difficult and complicated civil disputes and providing fast and easy access to legal services to those community residents. By integrating both grassroots¡¯judicial administration resources and ombudsman work resources, the setting-up of the¡°Judicial And Ombudsman Work Comprehensive Service Window¡±had been listed as one of the practical items that should be accomplished by the municipal government in 2002 in order to advance the grassroots¡¯ruling work in accordance with law, enhance the level of administration work in accordance with law, and provide highly effective and normative legal and reception work as ombudsman comprehensive services to all Shanghai citizens. There had been set up 176¡°service windows¡±up to August 2002.

The judicial administration comprehensive service windows are generally set at the community affairs acceptance centers of the townships and subdistricts, the subdistrct offices at the county/town government level, or other places which are easily accessed by residents. Those¡°service windows¡±holing the aim of¡°basing upon the community, serving people¡±integrate multi-work of people¡¯s mediation, law promulgation, legal services, legal aids, reception work as ombudsman, disposal, assistance and education, legal service hotline 12348 and 110 hotline of the public security in a practical and flexible manner. Their new service modes are functioning greatly in safeguarding the grassroots¡¯social stability, providing fast and easy access to legal services to community residents, and enhancing their legal awareness

The Shanghai government 2006