Have you ever bought any food on the train? And do you ask for the receiptafter buying it? Nowadays, all trains in China provide its passengers withreceipts for commodities, but 7 years ago, things were quite different.
On 13th of October, 20__, the train T109 from Beijing to Shanghai wasspeeding on the railway. A graduate student bought a sausage at 1 yuan on thetrain, then asked for a receipt.
“Are you kidding? It’s just one yuan!” The crew member was surprised.
The student, however, answered in a determined voice, “I paid the money, soI deserve the receipt.”
“But we never give receipts on the train.’ As a result, his further requestwas turned down by a cold shoulder.
Several days later, the student sued the National Railway Ministry, for notproviding receipts for passengers.
To his dismay, the court turned down the case for lack of evidence. But he,who majored in law at that time, believed law as a most powerful weapon, so hedid not give up. Instead, he began his journey of collecting first-hand evidenceby taking trains and buying commodities aboard. When his classmates were playingsoccer, he was taking the train; When his classmates were buying food atMcdonald’s, he was buying food on the train; When his classmates were askinggirls out, he was asking for the receipts. As he joked, ‘I was either taking thetrain or on the way to take the train.’
One month later, he appeared in the court again, with newly-collectedevidence and a stronger confidence. And I guess, ladies and gentlemen, you willall cheer for the result because this time, the student won the case. Very soon,a regulation about receipts on the train came out. And whatever we buy on thetrain now, there’s a receipt for us.
Outside the court, the student was asked, “How do you make it to the end?”He said, “As a law student, I root my faith in law. I believe that law is there,to protect every person with no exception, and to ensure every person has asay.”
His words spread a strong faith in law, which is not only a doctrine of alaw student, but also a belief that all citizens ought to hold. It is this faiththat initiates the student to resort to law for a tiny issue; it is this faiththat supports him to endure all the exhausting trips when collecting evidence;It is this faith that makes a seemingly “ridiculous” receipt request legal andrightful. It is this faith that helps to change our life, enhance our judicialsystem and bring social justice.
To many, a receipt of 1 yuan is too small to mention, however rights are tobe respected and law is to be believed in. It all starts with a tiny receipt of1 yuan, but we get a monumental case, a new regulation and a bumper harvest insocial justice. The bridge that leads a tiny start to a bumper harvest is faith,the faith in law, rightful and strong.