Wang Yinqi (second from right), Li Zhaopeng (first from right), and Gui Ning (third from right), a high school student from Beijing Jingyuan School, posed for a group photo during the 10th National College Student Simulated CPPCC Proposal Competition. [Photo provided to China Daily]
University students across China engage in Model CPPCC, simulating real political consultations, proposing solutions to societal issues, and gaining a deeper understanding of China's political system.
As thousands of lawmakers and political advisers gather in Beijing to participate in China's largest annual political event, university students across the country have been exploring the concept of developing whole-process people's democracy in their own way through the Model Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (Model CPPCC).
The two sessions of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body, commenced on March 5 and March 4 respectively. The CPPCC brings together individuals from different political parties, ethnic groups, and walks of life to discuss state affairs.
Emulating CPPCC members, students conduct research, go on field trips, write "simulated proposals", and engage in panel discussions, through which they gain a deeper understanding of the country's political system and cultivate their sense of social responsibility.
Many universities have established Model CPPCC societies, organizing relevant activities and sending teams to participate in competitions. Three months ago, four doctoral students from Tsinghua University won the top prize in the latest National College Student Simulated CPPCC Proposal Competition. Their proposal, focusing on enhancing the emergency response capability for sudden natural disasters at the grassroots street level, stood out among 1,130 proposals from 98 universities across China.
Li Zhaopeng. [Photo provided to China Daily]
According to Li Zhaopeng, 25, one of the four members of the team, their proposal originated from the catastrophic heavy rain that hit Beijing and its surrounding areas last summer. At that time, they found some grassroots subdistricts responded swiftly and resolutely to this sudden natural disaster and successfully protected people's lives and property. However, some other subdistricts showed weaker response capabilities, indicating their deficiency in grassroots-level social governance.
Why did different administrative units show such different emergency response abilities? With this question in mind, they visited grassroots communities and Party-building departments in Haidian, Fengtai, and Tongzhou districts in Beijing, Binzhou in Shandong province, as well as Zhuji in Zhejiang province for in-depth interviews. After five months of theoretical sorting and practical research, they completed their proposal.
In addition to presenting their proposal at the competition and a defense session, they also participated in a panel discussion, in which different teams discussed a certain topic while assuming various roles.
The topic was whether precooked dishes should be used in school canteens. The contestants voiced their opinions, acting as factory representatives, school authorities, parents, and government officers.
Wang Yinqi. [Photo provided to China Daily]
The Tsinghua team represented the local education bureau. Wang Yinqi, the team leader, explained the aim of this session.
"Unlike regular debate contests and Model United Nations meetings, where participants try to refute each other, the panel discussion focuses on consultation, coordination, and consensus," he said. "This approach also better aligns with the characteristics of citizens' participation in political consultation in our country."
Li agreed that the CPPCC reflects China's institutional strengths. "Participating in Model CPPCC activities helps young people develop confidence and commitment in our political system, as well as expanding their horizon and personal experience," he said. "The proposals should be genuine, practical, and effective. They are not shams or decorations but are aimed at solving real problems."
Li Mingrui. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Heartfelt issues
The issue that Li Mingrui, a graduate student at East China University of Political Science and Law (ECUPL), has long been pondering is equal career development for women in China's judicial and procurator system.
Li has heard many stories from senior female colleagues who, upon becoming judges or procurators, are often assigned trivial tasks such as file sorting due to the stereotype that women are meticulous but less proactive. They also mentioned how, later in their careers, maternity and "the glass ceiling" would hold them back from promotion.
Li decided to conduct a deeper investigation. Along with seven other schoolmates — all young women in their early 20s — she collected gender-related data from 212 courts and procuratorates in eight provinces, analyzed questionnaires from 228 industrial professionals, and conducted in-depth interviews with 32 females working in the judicial and procurator systems in Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Liaoning, and other locations.
"I'm proud and happy that the final proposal we have developed focuses on a heartfelt issue of our own," Li said. They submitted the proposal to the 2022 national competition because it was stated that the award-winning proposals would be presented to real CPPCC National Committee members. "We hoped that we could draw more attention to this issue and perhaps make some real changes," Li added. "Although we didn't win in the end, the awareness of identifying problems and advocating for our rights has stayed with us."
As a university specializing in political science and law, ECUPL has been encouraging students to engage in political life in various ways.
The university holds simulated proposal competitions, focusing on addressing issues such as vending machines selling sanitary pads, repairing uneven road surfaces on campus, and improving campus network signals. Students elect representatives of their classes or departments, who are akin to school versions of People's Congress deputies and are responsible for collecting students' demands and communicating with the university administration. Some students even participate in the election of real People's Congress deputies, hoping to attend the district People's Congress on behalf of their university.
"Active participation in political life is crucial for young people," said Li. "It not only safeguards individual and group interests but also contributes to the country and society."
Considerate organizers
Zhao Kaixin, 21, from China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU), has never competed in a national contest, but she may know Model CPPCC better than most students. She joined the university's Model CPPCC society in her first year, and by her third year, she had become the club's deputy secretary-general, responsible for the daily operation of the association and the arrangement of major events.
In fact, the association was the birthplace and pioneer of the National College Student Simulated CPPCC Proposal Competition, and it has always been one of the organizers of the event.
In last year's national competition, all 74 students of the association worked as staff in organizing meetings, inviting teams and judges, and designing the competition system and panel discussion topics.
The consciousness of participating in the administration and discussion of state affairs should be cultivated early, according to Zhao. Therefore, their association works with Model CPPCC clubs in secondary schools and invites teenagers to attend their events. The 2023 national competition created a special design by assigning a high school student to each university team as a provisional member in the final round so that older students could lead younger ones to experience the process of proposal formation and understand our country's political advisory system.
Zhao and other association members also have opportunities to intern at the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPPCC, the CPPCC's newspaper and its website. During Zhao's internship at the Beijing Municipal Committee last year, she archived nearly 2,000 proposals from real CPPCC members. Comparing them with students' simulated proposals, she found that young people should still work harder on solid data collection, big-picture thinking, and understanding the status quo of the country.
"Students tend to be idealistic and keep a distance from social reality. Model CPPCC brings them closer to society and, at the same time, builds a bridge between them and decision-makers," said Zhao. "Our school requires us students to know the world as well as our own country. Participating in or organizing Model CPPCC has helped us better understand China."
