China's first Anti-Domestic Violence Law came into force on March 1, 2016, bringing domestic violence under legal supervision so that people, especially women, can say "no" to it.

The legislation has been hailed as a milestone in the protection of people from physical and psychological abuse at home.

Eighty-eight year-old law professor Wu Changzhen, who offers legal aid to the public, is one of the law's strongest promoters.

Wu was chosen as a national model in the field of law on December 4, 2015, China's second Constitution Day, for her great contribution to the law against domestic violence.

Wu Changzhen, a law professor specializing in civil, marriage and family law receives an award on December 4, 2015 for her great contribution to the law against domestic violence. [Photo/cntv.cn]

Born in 1929, Wu is a well-known professor of civil, marriage and family law at China University of Political Science and Law.

As one of the first college graduates to major in law after the founding of the New China, Wu has been involved in the drafting and amendment of many important laws.

Over the past decades, Wu has paid special attention to the protection of women's rights. She participated in amendments of the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China in 1979 and 1997.

In 2002, Wu and other legal professionals successfully recommended adding "forbidding domestic violence" as a principle of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women, which is seen as a breakthrough in the fight against domestic violence.

Professor Wu Changzhen devotes her time and energy to the protection of women's rights in China. [Photo/cupl.edu.cn]

In 1985, in research sponsored by the Supreme People's Court of China, Wu collected cases and first hand materiel from Shangzi County in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

"Theory without practice is just empty talk, and practice without the guidance of theory is blind," Wu once told her students. For many years, she has focused on solving real-life problems with her legal knowledge.

Even in her 80s, she still works for women. In 2013, Wu, together with her team, published a "Guide to Marriage and Family Law".

Wu said she's very happy to see the Anti-Domestic Violence Law come into effect because it's her life-long wish to see every family live in peace and harmony.