Happiness is one great way to gauge nation's progress

All eyes and ears are now trained on Beijing and the first session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's top legislative body.

Deputies attending the meeting are considering a host of important issues. They are conducting reviews of the Government Work Report and the annual plan on national economic and social development. Meanwhile, there is another very important gathering in China's capital - that of the country's top political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The two meetings involve around 5,000 deputies and members, and are held in tandem each year.

There is always a massive amount of interest in the two sessions among China watchers because new issues come up each year that often go on to impact the whole nation, as well as the wider world.