It was my mom who asked me to watch Crime Crackdown, a popular TV drama that has received more than 3 billion online views and been the subject of heated public discussion recently.

In a text message, she said: "It's a very attractive TV series. Some plots are based on real-life cases that I remember you reported before, such as a high-profile man named Sun Xiaoguo who dodged the death penalty and a case of a body buried in a playground. It's worth watching, and I believe you'll like it."

She was right. I spent just one weekend watching the entire 28-episode series, as the vivid presentation of real-life cases and the actors' good performances made it hard for me to stop watching and unwilling to skip any part.

I recommended the TV series to my friends, some of whom also became addicted to it. One told me that she kept watching the drama even when she had medical checks in hospital, while another said she couldn't stop turning on the TV to watch after sending her son to school.

They said that compared to me, a journalist who has reported stories about crimes, laws and legal affairs for a decade, they knew little about such issues in their daily lives, let alone what difficulties the authorities face when dealing with such cases.

The TV series provided them with an opportunity to learn about the significant efforts made by government agencies to uphold justice and fight organized crime.

My parents had similar feelings. They told me the TV series' vivid depictions of complicated real-life cases helped them visualize the actual situation and better understand technical legal terms.

Expressing their outrage when we talked about gangsters' bullying and the collusion between officials and businesspeople that is shown in the TV series, my parents said the series made them realize the seriousness of gang-related crimes and corruption, and also helped them understand the importance of the country's efforts to crack down on such crimes.

To institutionalize the achievements of a campaign launched by the central government in 2018, China drafted a law on organized crime last year. It was submitted to a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, for a second review last month. A draft generally becomes a law after being read three times.

The draft clarifies the nature of organized crimes, saying they include organizing, leading and actively participating in criminal activities through violence, threats or other means, and bullying, oppressing and harming people and seriously disrupting economic and social order.

It also says illegal activities conducted by gangs via information networks, such as the internet and telecommunication services, are also organized crimes.

To prevent youngsters from being manipulated by gangsters, the draft says those who get juveniles to take part in domestic or overseas underworld organizations, or abet or entice minors to commit organized crimes will face severe punishment.

When I covered stories about the draft and other laws targeting such crimes, I was inspired because I knew our country was accelerating steps to build a legal system to guard against gang-related crimes.

I also wondered how to help people enhance their legal awareness, as the more we know and talk about laws, the better the rule of law will be advanced across the nation.

After Crime Crackdown went to air last month, I think we're getting closer to the goal of improving the rule of law, because the TV series－one of the most-discussed topics on Chinese social media platforms in recent weeks－not only got more people to focus on the fight against gangsters, but also inspired viewers to learn about laws and follow the nation's efforts to protect the public through their use.