A payment of 260,000 yuan for apples has finally been transferred, bringing months of dispute to a close. Recently, orchardist Yang Minghua firmly shook hands with Jin Liang, the presiding judge of Taocun Court, expressing relief that his family can now enjoy a peaceful Spring Festival.
Yantai's Qixia City is nationally renowned as China's apple capital. In this region where livelihoods depend on apples, the Taocun People's Tribunal of the Qixia People's Court is affectionately called the "Apple Court" by locals. The pre-holiday period marks both the peak season for apple transactions and a high-incidence time for conflicts.
The 260,000 yuan settlement arrived surprisingly quickly. Before the festival, Taocun Court operated at full capacity. By 8 AM on February 10, Judge Jin Liang was already organizing case files at his desk, determined to resolve pending disputes before the holiday. Many orchardists rely on these payments for holiday preparations and agricultural supplies, making timely resolutions critical.
The dispute originated months earlier when Yang sold his apples to a merchant, then assisted in purchasing over 100,000 jin of additional apples for cold storage. When the merchant failed to pay, the stored apples were offered as compensation. However, the cold storage facility sold the apples without Yang's authorization and withheld payment.
Rather than proceeding directly to trial—a process that could take months with authentication, defense, and debate—Judge Jin opted for pre-trial mediation. Through numerous calls between the cold storage manager and Yang, he balanced legal obligations with business reputation, contractual terms with practical considerations. After repeated negotiations, both parties reached an agreement for full payment before the new year.
During a follow-up visit to Yang's shop in Tangjiapo Town, Yang repeatedly thanked Judge Jin and Judge Yu Yi, noting that the swift resolution of 260,000 yuan ensures his family's financial security for the festivities. He praised the "Apple Court" for genuinely serving the people.
The court earns its nickname because Taocun and three neighboring towns under its jurisdiction constitute Yantai's primary apple-producing area. Nearly 1,000 cases are handled annually, with 80% involving orchardists and 30% directly related to apple disputes.
Satisfaction among residents is the greatest motivation, Judge Jin remarked to Judge Yu after leaving Yang's shop. He then drove to a cold storage facility in Taocun to address another tripartite dispute involving a merchant's debts to both the storage facility and orchardists. In a packaging workshop beside the cold storage, workers sorted apples along conveyor belts while Judge Jin gathered the merchant Mr. Lin, storage manager Qu, and orchardist representative Old Pan for discussions.
Old Pan emphasized the urgency of payment for holiday expenses, while Mr. Lin cited poor sales and existing debts. After tense exchanges, Judge Jin separated the parties for individual talks before reuniting them with a proposal: Manager Qu would utilize his sales channels to sell remaining inventory, prioritizing payments to orchardists. All three agreed.
En route back, Judge Jin explained the "Apple Mediation Method" summarized by the court—focusing on heart, emotion, reason, and law. This approach involves early intervention, emotional reconciliation, rational negotiation, and legal enforcement. By empathizing with orchardists and explaining laws in accessible terms, many disputes can be resolved locally.
Beyond mediation, the court's legal education follows apple growth cycles. Spring sessions focus on agricultural supplies, summer on labor disputes during flowering and bagging periods, autumn on sales contracts, and winter on storage agreements. Simplified templates and field hearings expedite resolutions—last June, a bagging worker's injury case was settled in five days through a tent court near the orchard.
Practical legal education yields results: over 70% of orchardist-related cases end in mediation or withdrawal. Farmers now scrutinize contracts more carefully, recognizing them as protective tools.
In the afternoon, Judge Jin returned to court for online hearings, including an orchardist contract dispute. Pre-holiday peaks in apple sales and settlements drive intensified efforts to close cases. Days involve hearings, mediation, and field investigations; nights are spent drafting judgments and preparing documents.
When asked about fatigue, Judge Jin—who comes from a rural background—paused before acknowledging the orchardists' resilience. This connection to the land has kept him in grassroots courts for over a decade. He sees their calloused hands and hopeful eyes in every case, believing that judicial diligence reduces farmers' burdens. Apples represent both livelihood and legacy in Qixia, and protecting this "money bag" remains paramount.
As night deepened, Judge Jin's office light stayed on. Amid paperwork and preparations for the next day's hearings, he and colleagues continued upholding harvests and hopes through law—a steadfast, warm commitment behind the sweet enterprise of the apple capital.
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