Air, soil pollution weigh heavy on legislators' minds

In the past few years, lawyer Gao Mingqin had been reluctant to come to Beijing for business trips due to the lingering smog in the capital. But the situation has changed since 2017.

"Thanks to the country's greater efforts to fight pollution, I saw more blue skies and breathed cleaner air in the capital last year," said Gao, a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress, the top legislature.

Environmental protection has been a hot topic among legislators and political advisers attending the annual sessions of the NPC and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee over the past few years.