The colorful tapestry of democracy at work

As the annual two sessions opens in Beijing, the nation will be treated to a ritual that has become as perennial and as predictable as the Spring Festival travel rush.

Because of their ornate, multicolored clothing, many of those in attendance belonging to China's 55 ethnic minorities will be given a starring, or at least a co-starring role in the saturated media coverage that the event will attract.

And who could object to that? After all, a splash of color and a touch of pageantry add a dose of down-to-earth humanity and interest to proceedings that some might perceive as a little too lofty, dry and garbed in bureaucratic beige.