People who offer aid to strangers in need will now be protected from civil liability.
Should those helping others be blamed for unintentional injuries or even deaths that result? There have been a string of controversies in China where good samaritans were blamed by the very people they helped - or their families - and brought up before the police or the courts as a result.
But the new revision of China's Civil Laws in this year's Two Sessions, China's annual parliament, stipulates that aid-givers who offer help don't face civil liability even if they make some mistakes, in order to encourage people to be willing to help strangers in need.
Yang Lixin, from Renmin University of China, praised the legislation for protecting good samaritans and said it would make a huge difference in the way people acted, reducing bystanders' hesitancy about offering help.
But Yang warned that the new rules might come with some risks. If helpers lack medical knowledge, they could actually worsen the situation, and should be cautious. As well as the new laws, he suggested, other provisos against inappropriate aid should be issued.