Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

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This article looks at the origins of the mediation process in China and its continued evolution over thousands of years. The author traces its path from traditional mediation within a small-scale farming society where the emphasis was placed on family loyalties and morality to the present day where these traditional values are challenged by modernization and Western influences.

Mediation, as an important measure to resolve disputes out of court, is practiced in many countries. However, the mediation process in traditional China, with its distinctions of long historical tradition, wide practice and principles based on a particular moral and social philosophy, has kept its uniqueness and mystery in the world until today.