GUANGZHOU - After being released from prison, Wang Jinyun launched a website to express his anguish, and the website has gradually evolved into a kind of spiritual shelter for criminals.

Wang's website, www.yangguangxia.com, provides inspirational stories, answers to legal questions and blogs to help criminals get a new start.

Since being launched eight years ago, the website has successfully persuaded 27 fugitives to confess their crimes, according to the Department of Justice of Guangdong Province.

Ten years ago, 23-year-old Wang, a graduate from a prestigious university, was given a two-year prison sentence for selling his exit, entry pass to a colleague.

Rather than letting his imprisonment bring him down, Wang managed to turn his experience into a positive force.

During the past eight years, Wang has read more than 3,000 legal books and became a certified psychiatrist.

Under his leadership, his seven-person team has been offering various services to criminal offenders both on- and offline, including psychological counseling, prison education and career guidance.

Wang has invested more than 700,000 yuan ($110,759) of his personal savings in order to sustain website operations and the team's other activities.

Meanwhile, he also founded two companies, and he uses about 200,000 yuan of those companies' annual revenues to support the website.

"I was so ignorant that I did not realize that what I did was illegal, and I feel a responsibility to help others be more informed of laws and regulations," he said, adding that he wants to make the website a welcoming community where criminal offenders can feel comfortable and respected.

On November 2, former fugitive Dai Xiaohua entered Wang Jinyun's office, ending five years' in exile.

Dai was involved in a fight that led to an accidental death in 2006, and since then, he has drifted from place to place to avoid being arrested.

In April, Dai logged on to Wang's website to seek legal consultation and to confide his troubles to Wang Jinyun.

After several months' of communication, Dai decided to turn himself over to the police.

"I was worried that my life would be totally destroyed if I were put in prison," Dai said. "But Wang's success has made me realize that imprisonment is not actually that dreadful."

Wang Zhongxing, a professor at Zhongshan University in Guangdong, said the Internet is an effective communication medium, especially for young people, and that is part of the reason for the success of Wang's website.

"Reintegrating former prisoners into society is a worldwide problem that can only be solved by the joint efforts of governments and other social forces," he said. "Wang's project is of great importance in strengthening social stability."

As the website becomes increasingly popular, Wang Jinyun's project expands in scope. To date, his online community has attracted more than 8,000 volunteers from all walks of life across the country.