����Article 110 Local people's governments at various levels are responsible and report on their work to people's congresses at the corresponding levels. Local people's governments at and above the county level are responsible and report on their work to the standing committees of the people's congresses at the corresponding levels when the congresses are not in session.

����Local people's governments at various levels are responsible and report on their work to the state administrative organs at the next higher level. Local people's governments at various levels throughout the country are state administrative organs under the unified leadership of the State Council and are subordinate to it.

����Article 111 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. The chairman, vice chairmen and members of each residents' or villagers' committee are elected by the residents. The relationship between the residents' and villagers' committees and the grass-roots organs of state power is prescribed by law.

����The residents' and villagers' committees establish sub-committees for people's mediation, public security, public health and other matters in order to manage public affairs and social services in their areas, mediate civil disputes, help maintain public order and convey residents' opinions and demands and make suggestions to the people's government.

����Section VI  The Organs of Self-Government of Ethnic Autonomous Areas

����Article 112 The organs of self-government of ethnic autonomous areas are the people's congresses and people's governments of autonomous regions, autonomous prefectures and autonomous counties.

����Article 113 In the people's congress of an autonomous region, prefecture or county, in addition to the deputies of the ethnic group exercising regional autonomy in the administrative area, the other ethnic groups inhabiting the area are also entitled to appropriate representation.

����Among the chairman and vice chairmen of the standing committee of the people's congress of an autonomous region, prefecture or county there shall be one or more citizens of the ethnic group or ethnic groups exercising regional autonomy in the area concerned.

����Article 114 The chairman of an autonomous region, the prefect of an autonomous prefecture or the head of an autonomous county shall be a citizen of the ethnic group exercising regional autonomy in the area concerned.

����Article 115 The organs of self-government of autonomous regions, prefectures and counties exercise the functions and powers of local organs of state as specified in Section �� of Chapter Three of the Constitution. At the same time, they exercise the power of autonomy within the limits of their authority as prescribed by the Constitution, the Law of the People's Republic of China on Regional Ethnic Autonomy and other laws and implement the laws and policies of the state in the light of the existing local situation.

����Article 116 The people's congresses of ethnic autonomous areas have the power to enact regulations on the exercise of autonomy and other separate regulations in the light of the political, economic and cultural characteristics of the ethnic group or ethnic groups in the areas concerned. The regulations on the exercise of autonomy and other separate regulations of autonomous regions shall be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for approval before they go into effect. Those of autonomous prefectures and counties shall be submitted to the standing committees of the people's congresses of provinces or autonomous regions for approval before they go into effect, and they shall be reported to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for the record.

����Article 117 The organs of self-government of the ethnic autonomous areas have the power of autonomy in administering the finances of their areas. All revenues accruing to the ethnic autonomous areas under the financial system of the state shall be managed and used by the organs of self-government of those areas on their own.

����Article 118 The organs of self-government of the ethnic autonomous areas independently arrange for and administer local economic development under the guidance of state plans.

����In exploiting natural resources and building enterprises in the ethnic autonomous areas, the state shall give due consideration to the interests of those areas.

����Article 119 The organs of self-government of the ethnic autonomous areas independently administer educational, scientific, cultural, public health and physical culture affairs in their respective areas, protect and sift through the cultural heritage of the ethnic groups and work for a vigorous development of their cultures.

����Article 120 The organs of self-government of the ethnic autonomous areas may, in accordance with the military system of the state and practical local needs and with the approval of the State Council, organize local public security forces for the maintenance of public order.

����Article 121 In performing their functions, the organs of self-government of the ethnic autonomous areas, in accordance with the regulations on the exercise of autonomy in those areas, employ the spoken and written language or languages in common use in the locality.

����Article 122 The state provides financial, material and technical assistance to the minority ethnic groups to accelerate their economic and cultural development.

����The state helps the ethnic autonomous areas train large numbers of cadres at various levels and specialized personnel and skilled workers of various professions and trades from among the ethnic group or ethnic groups in those areas.

����Section VII  The People's Courts and the People's Procuratorates

����Article 123 The people's courts of the People's Republic of China are the judicial organs of the state.

����Article 124 The People's Republic of China establishes the Supreme People's Court and the people's courts at various local levels, military courts and other special people's courts.

����The term of office of the president of the Supreme People's Court is the same as that of the National People's Congress. The president shall serve no more than two consecutive terms.

����The organization of the people's courts is prescribed by law.

����Article 125 Except in special circumstances as specified by law, all cases in the people's courts are heard in public. The accused has the right to defense.

����Article 126 The people's courts exercise judicial power independently, in accordance with the provisions of the law, and are not subject to interference by any administrative organ, public organization or individual.

����Article 127 The Supreme People's Court is the highest judicial organ.

����The Supreme People's Court supervises the administration of justice by the people's courts at various local levels and by the special people's courts. People's courts at higher levels supervise the administration of justice by those at lower levels.

����Article 128 The Supreme People's Court is responsible to the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee. Local people's courts at various levels are responsible to the organs of state power, which created them.

����Article 129 The people's procuratorates of the People's Republic of China are state organs for legal supervision.

����Article 130 The People's Republic of China establishes the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the people's procuratorates at various local levels, military procuratorates and other special people's procuratorates.

����The term of office of the procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate is the same as that of the National People's Congress; the procurator-general shall serve no more than two consecutive terms.

����The organization of people's procuratorates is prescribed by law.

����Article 131 The people's procuratorates exercise procuratorial power independently, in accordance with the provisions of the law, and are not subject to interference by any administrative organ, public organization or individual.

����Article 132 The Supreme People's Procuratorate is the highest procuratorial organ.

����The Supreme People's Procuratorate directs the work of the people's procuratorates at various local levels and of the special people's procuratorates. People's procuratorates at higher levels direct the work of those at lower levels.

����Article 133 The Supreme People's Procuratorate is responsible to the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee. People's procuratorates at various local levels are responsible to the organs of state power, which created them and to the people's procuratorates at higher levels.

����Article 134 Citizens of all ethnic groups have the right to use the spoken and written languages of their own ethnic groups in court proceedings. The people's courts and people's procuratorates should provide translation for any party to the court proceedings who is not familiar with the spoken or written languages commonly used in the locality.

����In an area where people of a minority ethnic group live in a compact community or where a number of ethnic groups live together, court hearings should be conducted in the language or languages commonly used in the locality; indictments, judgments, notices and other documents should be written, according to actual needs, in the language or languages commonly used in the locality.

����Article 135 The people' s courts, people's procuratorates and public security organs shall, in handling criminal cases,divide their functions, each taking responsibility for its own work, and they shall coordinate their efforts and check each other to ensure the correct and effective enforcement of the law.

Chapter Four

The National Flag, the National Anthem, the National Emblem and the Capital

����Article 136 The national flag of the People's Republic of China is a red flag with five stars.

����The national anthem of the People's Republic of China is March of the Volunteers.

����Article 137 The national emblem of the People's Republic of China consists of an image of Tiananmen in its center illuminated by five stars and encircled by ears of grain and a cogwheel.

����Article 138 The capital of the People's Republic of China is Beijing.

 
Source: China Yearbook 2004