BEIJING, March 12 -- The number consumer rights protection cases increased in the last four years as the public became increasingly aware of their rights.

A total of 112,779 cases were heard in 2010 and the figure reached 128,198 in 2013, an increase of 13.7 percent, said Supreme People's Court (SPC) whitepaper on Wednesday.

Punitive damages of more than 315 million yuan (51.3 million U.S. dollars) were awarded by courts nationwide from 2010 to 2013.

Among the cases, 4,491 involved online shopping disputes and 7,454 concerned travel service disputes.

China's law on consumer rights and interests was revised in October 2013, the first revision since its adoption in 1993, to address matters such as online shopping and consumer privacy.