Biography of esteemed judge to be available next week

A biography of Zou Bihua, a widely acclaimed judge in Shanghai who was praised by President Xi Jinping for his impartiality and dedication to judicial reform, has been completed a year after he suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 47.

The biography recalls the life journey of the judge who was posthumously awarded several honors, including being named "a national outstanding member of the communist Party of China" and "a national role-model judge".

Zou, former deputy head of the Shanghai High People's Court, died on Dec 10, 2014 after a 26-year judicial career.

Author Yan Jianyi, who serves as a publicity officer for the Shanghai High People's Court, spent roughly six months traveling across the country to talk with Zou's family and friends, former teachers and classmates, colleagues and acquaintances. He reviewed more than 20,000 documents and watched more than 120 hours of video clips recording Zou's work.

Xi had previously praised Zou as "an impartial judge who cared about people and was brave to face tough obstacles in judicial reform."

The 380,000-word book will be available in bookstores on Wednesday.