Laws of the People's Republic of China

   Article 1. This Law is formulated in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China with a view to ensuring self-government by the villagers in the countryside, who will administer their own affairs in accordance with the law, and promoting socialist democracy at the grassroots level, socialist material development, and the building of an advanced socialist culture and ideology in the rural areas.

   Article 2. The villagers committee shall be the primary mass organization of self-government, in which the villagers manage their own affairs, educate themselves, and serve their own needs. It shall manage the public affairs and public welfare services of the village, mediate disputes among the villagers, help maintain public order, and convey the villages' opinions and demands and make suggestions to the people's government.

   Article 3. The people's government of a township, a nationality township or a town shall give guidance, support and help to the villagers committees in their work. The villagers committees, on their part, shall assist the above people's government in its work.

   Article 4. The villagers committee shall support and organize the villagers in co-operative economic undertakings in various forms, such as those for production, supply and marketing, credit or consumption, provide services and coordination for production in the village, and promote the development of socialist production and construction and the socialist commodity economy in the countryside.

The villagers committee shall respect the decision-making power of collective economic organizations in conducting their economic activities independently as prescribed by law, and safeguard the lawful right of property and other lawful rights and interests of collective economic organizations, villagers, households operating under contract, associated households or partnerships.

The villagers committee shall, in accordance with the law, administer affairs concerning the land and other property owned collectively by the villagers and disseminate knowledge among the villagers about a rational utilization of the natural resources and the protection and improvement of the ecological environment.

   Article 5. The villagers committee shall publicize the Constitution and the laws, regulations and state policies among the villagers; persuade them to perform their obligations as prescribed by law and to take good care of public property; safeguard the villagers' lawful rights and interests; promote unity and mutual assistance with other villages ; and carry out various forms of activities conducive to the building of an advanced socialist culture and ideology.

   Article 6. In villages where people from more than one nationality live, the villagers committees shall persuade the villagers to enhance the unity, mutual assistance and mutual respect between different nationalities.

   Article 7. Villagers committees shall be established on the basis of the distribution of the villagers and the sizes of the population and on the principle of facilitating self-government by the masses.

Villagers committees shall generally be established in natural villages; several natural villages may jointly establish a villagers committee; a large natural village may establish several villagers committees.

The establishment or dissolution of a villagers committee or a readjustment in the area governed by it shall be proposed by the people 's government of a township, a nationality township or a town and reported to a people's