hypocrisy of the court system. The air in the courtroom was thick with tension, a palpable energy that vibrated in the bones. Lawyers were preparing their opening statements, and the judges, a balding man with a perpetually skeptical expression and a woman whose eyes seemed to miss nothing, exchanged a few words with their associated lawyers. The2:00p.m. court session was about to begin.

"The defendant, Su Wen, is a young woman in her twenties from a small city in Shandong. Her family owns a small restaurant, and she has no prior legal experience," Li Ming explained to me in a hushed voice as we walked towards the courtroom. His voice was filled with a sense of disappointment, not unlike that of a father who had seen his child fail. "She is accused of theft, allegedly stealing a gold necklace worth 30,000 yuan from a department store."

The department store's security footage showed her taking the necklace and leaving the store. There was no one to testify against her, and no