Editor's Note

As China’s top legislative body is to elect top state leaders in early March this year, the list of deputies to the top legislative body, along with members of the nation’s top political advisory body, which began to be released to the public in January, have triggered nationwide concern.

Globaltimes.cn, the official website of the Global Times, has picked out some eye-catching figures from these lists as a part of its special online coverage of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC), the nation’s top legislative body and the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body, or the Two Sessions, this year.

The list includes a female villager from Shanxi who was elected NPC deputy, and Nobel laureate Mo Yan and former NBA player Yao Ming, who were elected as members of the 12th CPPCC, along with the nation’s provincial officers and celebrities from all walks of life.

Highlights

 

For the first time ever, the NPC is selecting urban and rural deputies based on population ratios, according to reports from the China News Service. While it's certain that more NPC deputies from rural areas will show up, the extent of their contribution remains in question.
Elections of new lawmakers in all of China's counties and townships have been completed, with fewer officials being elected and an unprecedented equal representation of urbanites and farmers.
A statement by the NPC Standing Committee also highlighted drops in the ratio of seats held by Communist Party of China or government officials at the county and township levels, with both decreasing by 4.37 percent and 2.42 percent, respectively.
A Nobel laureate, a former NBA player and a number of film and TV stars were also elected as national political advisors this year.

Source: Xinhua-Global Times

Latest News

Global Times: Throwing open the doors

Cheng Junrong has come a long way since his peers, mostly migrant workers, voted for him into the National People's Congress (NPC) as a deputy five years ago. Over the last five years he has analyzed amendments to laws and proposals to various government agencies, but at the end of last year he retired, having reached the mandatory five-year limit.

Global Times: Political all-stars

While some government officials are brewing up a storm online for their leaked sex tapes, one soft core porn actress has made her own splash by debuting as a political adviser.

Xinhua: National advisory body to elect new Chairman in March

The new Chairman of the national advisory body will be elected at the first session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on March 3.

Xinhua: Female villager elected in NPC record

Shen Jilan, a rural villager in North China's Shanxi Province, was elected deputy to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature.

Comments

on political participation and deliberation

Global Times: Colorful figures bring new vitality to CPPCC

The inclusion of members such as Liu Chun shows that officials have noticed public expectations. In the future, the number of such colorful CPPCC members will grow and they will bring more openness and perhaps sharpness into the operation of CPPCC. Whether the government and the public agree with their proposals or not, the representation of the CPPCC is becoming increasingly broader.

on grassroots legislatures:

Xinhua: Grassroots legislatures complete elections
The elections mark the first round of general elections following a 2010 amendment to the Electoral Law that called for rural and urban areas to elect a number of deputies that is proportionally equivalent to the populations they represent.

On athletes, actors and singers chosen as political advisors

Xinhua: Public keep close eye on lawmakers, political advisors during annual session

As without proposals there was "nothing he could talk about during the meeting." Zhang said "Liu's biggest function (during the meeting) was being photographed" as celebrities attracted much media attention during the country's annual political event.

Zhang Yiyi, a writer, commented on famous Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang, also a member of China's political advisory body, when he said "No proposals, I'm coming to learn" after was asked what proposal he was going to put forward to the annual national meeting in 2011.

But others speaking in favor of Liu said the public should not demand too much from athletes, actors and singers who had been chosen as political advisors. Different from lawmakers, they are not elected by the public but chosen to represent a certain circle of the society and offer proposals for the development of their sectors.

Name List

Part of the highest-profile deputies to the 12th NPC:

Globaltimes.cn picked out some attention-getting deputies to the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC) elected by the local people’s congress as of February 6, 2013. 

A complete list of all deputies to the 12th National People’s Congress has not yet been released as elections in some provinces and municipalities are still ongoing, such as in Chongqing Municipality and the Shandong Province.

A total of 55 deputies who will represent Beijing Municipality at the upcoming plenary session of China's top legislature were elected, including Beijing Governor Wang Anshun, and Zhou Qifeng, President of Peking University.

A total of 59 deputies to represent Shanghai Municipality were elected, including Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Han Zheng, the secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shanghai Municipal Committee.

A total of 161 deputies to represent Guangdong Province were elected, including Zhu Xiaodan, Guangdong provincial governor; Hu Chunhua, secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC); Ma Huateng, CEO of Tencent, a leading Internet company and Zhong Nanshan, famous scientist.

Part of the highest-profile members of the National Committee of the 12th CPPCC:

The Standing Committee of the 11th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, China's top political advisory body, adopted a member list for the 12th CPPCC National Committee on February 1.

Mo Yan, the 2012 Nobel Laureate in Literature, and Yao Ming, a former NBA star with the Houston Rockets, have been listed among China's national political advisors.

In addition to Mo and Yao, movie star Jackie Chan is also on the list of 2,237 CPPCC National Committee members.

The decision was based on a proposal formulated by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

The proposal list included people from all walks of life in China, including officials, military officers, members of non-Communist parties, as well as representatives from economic, political, cultural, social and environmental fields, according to Ling Jihua, head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee.

Representatives from religious circles and ethnic minority groups are also included in the final list, Ling said.

Of the 2,237 members on the final list, 893 are CPC members, including Zhang Yannong, President of People’s Daily; Chen Deming, Chinese Minister of Commerce; Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China (PBC); Yu Zhengsheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Jiang Weixin, Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

Other advisors:

 

Political advisors from non-Communist parties includes Li Daokui, Lecturer and Professor at the School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University; Chen Daoming, famous Chinese actor and Cui Yongyuan, famous CCTV anchor

Political advisors from All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce includes Li Shufu, President of Geely Group and Li Yanhong, founder of the country's search engine giant Baidu

Political advisors as writers, Artists, actors and actresses includes Nobel laureateMo Yan, famous film directors Feng Xiaogang, Zhang Guoli and Chen Kaige; famous Chinese actors Jackie Chan and Pu Cunxin; famous Chinese actresses Song Dandan and Song Chunli; famous Chinese singers Song Zuying, Chen Sisi and Yan Weiwen; Shan Jixiang, curator of the mainland-based Palace Museum; famous crosstalk comedians Zhao Benshan, Jiang Kun, Gong Hanlin and Huang Hong and Tai Lihua, head of China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe.

Political advisors in science and technology field includes Wan Gang, China's minister of science and technology

Political advisors in social sciences field includes Mao Xinyu, grandson of Chairman Mao Zedong

Political advisors in economic field includes Li Yining, renowned Chinese economist

Political advisors in education field includes Li Weihong, vice minister of the Ministry of Education

Political advisors in sports industry includes famous hurdler Liu Xiang, Chinese badminton head coach Li Yongbo and former NBA player Yao Ming

Political advisors in press publication sectors includes Bai Yansong, famous CCTV anchor and He Chongyuan, vice president of People’s Daily