How do the lawmakers of the highest organ of China's state power get their positions?[Special coverage]
There are two types of election: direct and indirect.
Deputies to county- and township-level people's congresses are directly voted by adult members of the public.
And deputies to people's congresses above the county level are elected by deputies at the level immediately below.
It works this way up the ladder of power, and at the top, nearly 3,000 deputies are elected nationwide every five years.
They come from various walks of life, yet share the same belief: to stand for the people's interests, instead of acting for the rich and powerful.
Let me give you a few examples:
One of the deputies that we recently interviewed is Li Weimin, a reputational respiratory physician and president of West China Hospital. Elected from Sichuan Province, an area that's in the midst of its fight against poverty, Li is going to submit a motion on making high-quality medical resources in big cities more accessible to rural areas.
There are also deputies from the grassroots level who aim to improve the welfare of migrant workers and farmers, women deputies who call for greater female representation, and heads of state-owned enterprises who strengthen economic reforms.
Each year, they gather in the Great Hall of the People in the heart of Beijing. The motions deputies submit are legally binding once adopted. They also pass laws and review work reports of the government as well as its plans and budgets for the year ahead.
