The residents committees and villagers committees established among urban and rural residents on the basis of their place of residence are mass organizations of self-management at the grass roots level. Urban and rural residents had established mass organizations of self-government in various forms in the New-Democratic Revolution and early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The current residents committees and villagers committees are established in light of the previous experiences. They are a form to implement directly democracy at the grass-roots level.

 Residents Committees

The residents committees established among urban residents on the basis of their place of residence are mass organizations of self-management at the grass roots level. The Organic Regulations of the Urban Residents Committees was adopted at the 4^th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the First National People's Congress on December 31, 1954. The regulations were again promulgated on January 19, 1980. In light of the regulations, residents committees were first established in municipal districts and cities not divided into districts. The Organic Law of Urban Residents Committees of the People's Republic of China was adopted at the 11^th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Seventh National People's Congress. In light of the Organic Law, residents committees exercise the following functions and duties:

(1)To publicize the Constitution and the laws, regulations and state policies among the

residents; persuade them to perform their obligations as prescribed by law and to take good care　of public property; safeguard the residents' lawful rights and interests; carry out various forms of activities conducive to the building of an advanced socialist culture and ideology.

(2)To manage public affairs and social services in its area;

(3)To mediate civil disputes, promote unity and mutual assistance with other residents and family harmony;

(4)To help maintain public order;

(5)To help the people's government and its agencies do the work in public health, family planning and juvenile education, etc;

(6)To convey residents opinions and demands and make suggestions to the people's government or its agencies.

Residents committees shall be established on the basis of the distribution of the residents and the sizes of the population and on the principle of facilitating self-government by the masses. A residents committee shall be generally established on the basis of 100-700 households. A residents committee shall be composed of 5-9 members, including the chairman, the vice-chairman (vice-chairmen) and the members. They are elected by all the residents with the right to vote or representatives from every household. The residents committees shall, when necessary, establish sub-committees for people's mediation, public security, public health and other matters.

The relationship between the residents committees and the grass-roots organs of state power is: The people's governments of municipal districts and cities not divided into districts or their subdistrict offices shall give guidance, support and help to the residents committees in their work. The residents committees or their sub-committees, on their part, may assist the above people's governments in their work as needs and under the approval of the above people's governments or their subdistrict offices.

 Villagers Committees

The villagers committees established among rural residents on the basis of their place of residence are mass organizations of self-management at the grass-roots level. They have been widely established since the adoption of the household contract responsibility system with remuneration linked to output in 1980s. The Constitution of 1982 stipulates name, nature, task and organ of villagers committee. The Organic Law of the Villagers Committees of the People's Republic of China (For Trial Implementation) was adopted at the 23^rd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress on November 24, 1987. In light of the relevant provisions of the Organic Law of the Villagers Committees, villagers committees exercise the following functions and duties:

(1) To manage public affairs and social services in its village;

(2) To mediate civil disputes, promote unity and mutual assistance with other villages and family harmony;

(3) To help public security organs maintain public and social order;

(4) To convey residents opinions and demands of villagers and make suggestions to the people's government and carry out various forms of activities conducive to the building of an advanced socialist culture and ideology. In its work the villagers committee shall persist in the mass line, give full play to democracy, carefully heed dissenting opinions and shall not resort to coercion and commandism or retaliation.

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 villagers; several natural villages may jointly establish a villagers committee; a large natural village may establish several villagers committees. A villagers committee shall be composed of 3-7 members, including the chairman, the vice-chairman (vice-chairmen) and the members. The villagers committees shall, when necessary, establish sub-committees for people's mediation, public security, public health and other matters.　

Rules and regulations for a village and villagers pledges shall　be drawn up by the villagers assembly through discussion in light of local conditions, reported to the people's government of a township, nationality township or town for the record, and implemented under the supervision of the villagers committee. The rules and regulations for a village and villagers pledges shall not contravene the Constitution, the laws or the regulations.

The villagers committee is not an agency of the people's government of a township, a nationality township or a town. 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.