An Empirical Study of Petition-Activities in China

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In China, the petition-activities are being legalized and systematized, legitimized by what it is called the "Petition Law". However, a difference between the original intent and the actual implementation has gradually emerged, thus causing three major paradoxes : (1) a greater emphasis on its relief function over the atrophied political function, (2) an extremely poor rate of issue-solving(0.2%), (3) the petitioners suffering from punishments and persecutions. Nevertheless, the reason that is petition system remains in effect, despite these paradoxes, is that it both embodies the "mass line" of the Communist Party and at the same time contributes to re-enforce the validity(i. e. paternalism and charismatic faith) of the government.