Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) walk to the Great Hall of the People for the opening meeting of the first session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2018. The 13th NPC convened its first session in early March. Among 2,980 deputies, more women, farmers and workers, but fewer officials sat on China's top legislature. The new lineup has 742 women, accounting for 24.9 percent of the total, up 1.5 percentage points from the previous NPC. A total of 468 deputies are workers and farmers. Their share has grown by 2.28 percentage points to 15.7 percent. The 1,011 Party and government cadres still form the largest bulk, but its share has dropped to 33.93 percent. Professionals number 613, accounting for 20.57 percent. About a quarter are re-elected deputies with the overall turnover rate in the national legislature remaining high. There are 438 ethnic minority deputies, representing all of China's 55 ethnic minority groups. (Xinhua/Yang Zongyou)
