North China's Shanxi Province was one of the three places selected for a supervisory reform pilot program. Our reporter Hu Chao went to the capital Taiyuan to find out how Shanxi's new office is making a difference.

In July last year, Guo Hai, former party secretary and chairman of a local state-owned coal group in north China's Shanxi Province, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for bribery of 16 million yuan and misconduct in office.

The case had lasted three years before it was taken on and wrapped up by the Shanxi provincial supervision commission in just four months. In January 2017, Shanxi set up the first provincial supervision commission in China. It shares its office and staff with Party discipline inspectors, and incorporates existing anti-graft governmental and procuratorate agencies and staff.

Zhou Yuewu had been following the case of Guo Hai. He's impressed by the high efficiency of the new office.

ZHOU YUEWU SHANXI PROVINCIAL SUPERVISORY COMMISSION "Guo Hai violated both Party discipline and the law. So his case had to be handled by different offices, which led to inefficiency and made it last for years. After setting up the new office, it only took us eighty days to complete the investigation. The advantages of our integrated anti-corruption force really impressed me."

The Guo Hai case also used the new detention system, introduced in the draft supervision law to replace the previous "liang gui" system. The new system aims to legalize the measures needed for investigations.

ZHAO WEI SHANXI PROVINCIAL SUPERVISORY COMMISSION "Using the system requires very strict approval from both the Party Committee of the same level and a higher-level commission, to prevent abuse. The system also has clear rules on notifying the family within 24 hours, and a three-month long detention limit."

Since the pilot began, new supervision commissions have also been set up at provincial, city and county levels across China. One big change with the new system is that not only Party members, but all personnel in public sectors who exercise public power will be supervised by it.

NING FENG SHANXI PROVINCIAL SUPERVISORY COMMISSION "We've already handled some cases of misconduct of some public personnel who are not Party members but hold public power. Many of them have expressed recognition and understanding of our work. And some also thanked us for preventing them from breaking regulations and laws."

HU CHAO TAIYUAN, SHANXI PROVINCE "The pilot experience in Shanxi contributed to the draft supervision law. And the passage of the supervision law would lay the legal foundations for an upgraded anti-corruption campaign. China believes the law will ensure an authoritative and efficient supervisory system, and also modernize the country's governance system and capabilities. Hu Chao, CGTN, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province."