LANZHOU, Nov. 8  -- Since becoming a village warden this year, Wen Yuekun always carries a notebook to write down problems villagers report to him.

"I found muddy tap water in my home. When it rains, the problem became worse. Please solve the problem as soon as possible," read one of the entries.

"It was reported by Du Lunsheng, who had complained to the water plant before, but the root cause could not be found," said 45-year-old Wen, who lives in Xiangbulu Village of northwestern China's Gansu Province.

Wen reported the problem to higher level village officials, who worked with the township authorities urging the waterworks to solve the problem.

The mud in the drinking water was eventually removed. "I felt a sense of relief," said Wen. "I really like the feeling of accomplishment through helping the village folks."

The new village governance network was introduced in Xiangbulu, Tianjiahe Township at the beginning of this year. A total of 29 villagers were voted to be wardens, who are responsible for providing services to villagers in different areas of the village.

Wardens work as the bridge between over 1,000 villagers, village officials and higher-level departments.

"In the past, there were only a few village officials who had to undertake a great deal of routine work every day. Villagers rarely participated in public affairs," said Wang Baolin, secretary of the Tianjiahe Township Committee of the CPC.

The system, bringing more villagers to join in village management, can eventually benefit the whole village, Wang added.

Apart from village affairs, the wardens also organize activities to publicize new policies, such as the newly issued policies on medical insurance.

"China has been making efforts to explore rural governance methods in the vast rural areas. The warden system brings the villagers and officials closer and has proven effective in promoting the modernization of China's rural areas," said Liu Min, a researcher with the Academy of Social Sciences of Gansu.

"A good rural governance can lay a solid foundation for China's rural vitalization," Liu said.