Tongfang Academy
Micro Party Class · Issue 321
Put the original aspiration of serving the people through justice into practice with our lives.
— In Memoriam: Han Xuhui, a Model Judge Nationwide
“Theoretical cultivation is the core of the comprehensive quality of Party members and cadres. Theoretical maturity is the foundation for political maturity, and political steadfastness stems from theoretical clarity.” For Party members and cadres, fostering a fine academic style and strengthening theoretical education are both fundamental requirements for cultivating Party spirit and an inescapable political responsibility.
Tongfang Law Firm provides a learning platform for all its lawyers in the form of micro-party classes, enhancing their ideological and political awareness as well as their spirit of learning and inquiry. By establishing a long-term educational mechanism, the firm has created a new platform for self-education and self-improvement.
Files, identification documents, pills, and a razor—these are just a few of the simple items Han Xuhui brings along on every business trip. As usual, he straps on his frayed, military-style crossbody bag and sets off on another journey to handle cases.
From Changzhi in Shanxi to Jincheng, from Jincheng to Linfen, and then from Linfen to Yongji, Han Xuhui and his colleagues traveled over 700 kilometers, visiting four prisons outside their home region to hold court sessions and hear five cases. On the evening of March 8, 2023, at Yongji City—their final stop on the business trip—Han Xuhui, exhausted from days of continuous work, suddenly fell ill and collapsed onto the hotel bed. At that moment, he was still clutching tightly in his hand the documents he was scheduled to use for the next day’s court hearing. In the early hours of the following morning, despite intensive medical efforts, Han Xuhui sadly passed away.
Before his passing, Han Xuhui was a first-level judge at the People’s Court of Luzhou District, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province. With 33 years of service in the judiciary, 17 years spent working at grassroots people’s courts, and having handled more than 3,000 cases... at the age of 59, he collapsed on the front line of case handling less than four months before retirement. The majestic Taihang Mountains witnessed Han Xuhui’s relentless dedication and his unwavering commitment to serving the people through justice—with his very life.
Do well the “crucial small matters” that matter most to the people.
Upon hearing the news of Han Xuhui’s sudden passing, Wang Liangzhi from Zhangzhuang Village, Machang Town, Changzhi City, lifted her apron to wipe away the tears that had welled up in her eyes, her voice choked with emotion.
Wang Liangzhi, who is nearing her seventies, was one of the plaintiffs in the last batch of cases handled by Han Xuhui before his passing. More than a decade ago, she and her husband worked at a local cement factory. The legal representative of the company was jailed for criminal offenses, leaving the workers without any hope of receiving their wages. Wang Liangzhi had already given up on ever getting back her 7,000-yuan salary—but then she heard that other workers in similar situations had managed to recover their wages with the help of judges at the Machang Court. So, with a bit of hope but also a sense of skepticism, she and her husband decided to try filing a lawsuit at the court.
One of the stops on Han Xuhui’s business trip before his passing was specifically to handle the case of elderly Wang Liangzhi. Before leaving on the trip, Han Xuhui told his colleagues, “I’m about to retire soon. If I can wrap up these few cases I’m working on now, I’ll feel at peace.”
In fact, Wang Liangzhi is already the 220th plaintiff in this series of labor dispute cases. Although the cases themselves aren't particularly complex, the real challenge lies in helping workers genuinely recover the hard-earned money they’ve been owed. Over the past decade, this series of cases has gone through more than a hundred court hearings, one after another. As the presiding judge, Han Xuhui has been constantly on the move, repeatedly verifying facts, communicating with parties involved, and coordinating efforts—worrying himself sick over every detail.
“Old Han is truly a yardstick in our hearts!” “Without him, how could my compensation payment have been credited so quickly?” “Old Han has absolutely no airs about him—he’s always incredibly kind and approachable.” … These words are nothing but the most heartfelt, down-to-earth sentiments of ordinary people.
From court clerk, assistant judge, judge, deputy director of the Enforcement Bureau, chief of the Filing Division, and chief of the People’s Court, to stepping down from the position of chief and continuing to work directly on case handling—Han Xuhui has handled “crucial small matters” that directly affect the people’s vital interests, enabling ordinary citizens to genuinely feel the fairness and warmth of the judicial system.
Resolve conflicts and disputes at the source.
The Machang Court is the grassroots court under the jurisdiction of the People's Court of Luzhou District with the broadest coverage. Its jurisdiction encompasses numerous enterprises, villages, and towns, as well as a large population. Most of the litigants who come to the court are villagers from nearby villages, and their disputes typically involve trivial matters—“everyday family squabbles” and “trifling, insignificant issues.”
For years, before each court hearing, Han Xuhui would always sit in the gallery or at the clerk’s seat, chatting casually with the parties involved to understand the root causes of their disputes and do his utmost to ease tensions and resolve conflicts. Even when mediation proved impossible and the case had to be decided by a judgment, he would patiently offer counsel and explain the law after the trial concluded, ensuring that the winning party felt justified and the losing party accepted the verdict willingly and with full understanding.
In 2016, a pair of neighbors from Zhangzhuang Village in Machang Town got into a fierce argument over a dispute about building houses on their respective homesteads. After several unsuccessful mediation attempts by the village committee, the case file eventually landed on Han Xuhui’s desk. Armed with tools such as a measuring tape, camera, and blueprints, Han Xuhui conducted multiple on-site inspections of both homesteads, gathered detailed information about the dispute from both parties and the village committee, and even visited the homes of other nearby villagers to gather additional insights.
“As the saying goes, ‘Distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors.’ Your two families have been neighbors for decades—please show each other some understanding and consideration.” Based on a thorough investigation, Han Xuhui delivered a verdict in this dispute, clearly explaining the right and wrong involved and resolving the lingering tensions in the hearts of these longtime neighbors.
“First sit in the旁听 seat, then take the judge’s chair; first knock on the farmer’s door, then strike the small gavel; first settle family disputes, then explain legal principles and human sentiments; first gauge your own conscience, then listen to the people’s hearts; first step onto the path of fairness, then drive the engine of efficiency.” These five concise sentences encapsulate Han Xuhui’s “Five-Principle Work Method,” a reflection of his 17-year dedication to grassroots people’s courts. With each rise and fall of the gavel, cases are adjudicated fairly, disputes are resolved definitively, and matters are brought to a close.
To burn with passion and dedication for the cause of justice.
In April 2022, Han Xuhui proactively applied to the court to step down from his position as chief judge ahead of schedule, so that younger colleagues could grow more rapidly. At his farewell ceremony, he spoke about the reason he had always remained steadfastly committed to the front lines of the judiciary—
“It’s my passion for this job; the sense of sacredness that comes with donning the robe and striking the gavel; the sense of responsibility to uphold fairness and justice in every judgment; and the joy of settling disputes and bringing closure.”
Judge Ma Chenhui of the Luzhou Court was personally mentored by Han Xuhui. Ma Chenhui still remembers his mentor’s words of encouragement when he felt weary from work: “You must forge yourself into a ‘sun’—shine brightly in the courtroom, warm others around you, and only then will you be able to dispel all darkness.”
After resigning from his post as chief judge, Han Xuhui continued working at the grassroots-level court, handling and concluding over 200 civil cases in less than a year. Right up until his last moment, he remained steadfastly on the front lines, tirelessly dedicating himself to case handling.
At 10 p.m. on March 9, 2023, the police car carrying the remains of Judge Han Xuhui passed by the courthouse where he had devoted his entire life to serving. Many court officers, colleagues, and nearby residents spontaneously came out to bid him farewell.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Han Xuhui had personally crafted tea cans, intending to give them to his colleagues when he retired. Nor did Han Xuhui know that his wife and daughter had secretly carved a calligraphy seal for him as a retirement gift.
He once promised his family, “Once I retire, we’ll all go on a trip together and take good care of my flowers.”
However, none of these gifts and promises had time to be fulfilled.
At the memorial service, Han Yannan, her daughter, met many people she had never known before. There were members of the public whom her father had once helped relieve their worries and difficulties; colleagues who had worked alongside him for years; and grassroots officials from the local township. From their grief and heartfelt memories, Yannan’s earlier misunderstandings, grievances, and resentments—stemming from her father’s dedication to his work at the expense of family—gradually faded away like mist in the breeze. Most of all, she longed to say to her father: “Dad, I want to be as down-to-earth, hardworking, upright, and kind as you are. I want to become just like you.”
Source | People's Daily Online, Official Website for Party History Study and Education
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Tongfang Academy Micro-Party Class, Issue 322: Bravely and Steadfastly Moving Forward in Tackling the Unique Challenges Faced by Large Political Parties
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Tongfang Academy Micro-Party Class, Issue 320: Building a Bridge Between Theory and the Masses
