Deputies, advisers strive to make a difference

Although I was assigned to cover this year's two sessions, I was not interested in the grand meeting at first.

What they say

Offering effective poverty relief is based on a database of poor people and their needs. More than 1 million grassroots government staff built this database in 2014 and 2 million of them reviewed the profiles and adjusted it. The database will keep improving.

Chengdu puts focus on logistics

Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, has successfully reinvented itself as a major logistics hub, according to the city's deputy mayor.

Rail an 'ideal field' overseas

China should speed up the standardization of its high-speed railway technologies and take the lead in setting international standards, an industry insider suggested.

Deputy sings praises of rare opera

Lei Tongxia first encountered Longju Drama, a unique traditional opera from Northwest China's Gansu province, when she was 12 and living in a local village. Since then, she has been addicted to it.

Soybean province wants protection from GM crops

National legislators from Heilongjiang province, which is China's principal producer of non-genetically-modified soybeans, are calling for a law to set up a special zone where the planting and processing of GM plants is prohibited.

Big data

Foreign policy more globally engaged

China's foreign policy has undergone several significant transformations since the early 1950s.

China can send its own brands to the world

As the annual sessions of the top legislature and political advisory body unfolded, China Daily collected questions on issues that netizens care most about and solicited answers from political advisers, legislators and senior government officials.

Sessions a real place for the public's voice; closely related to people's lives

As a business reporter, I used to consider mergers and acquisitions valued at hundreds of billions of dollars more important than wishy-washy political plans that take years to realize.

What they say

Some Western snacks and junk food have done harm to teenagers' health. The number of fat kids is growing. Nowadays, many diseases are the result of an unhealthy lifestyle and could be prevented. People will be less prone to get these diseases, or avoid them altogether, if they had more knowledge.

Executives survey the prospects for China's future prosperity

The 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) is about to come into effect. As the nation waves goodbye to double-digit growth and tries to accommodate the new normal, overseas businesses also have to adjust to a slower China. To gauge business opinion, China Daily invited executives from several multinational companies operating in China to share their views on the outlook for the Chinese economy.