Teens get hands-on look at politics at Model CPPCC

At Friday's opening ceremony of the third session of the 13th Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a group of teenagers drew a great deal of attention from committee members and the media.

They are Model CPPCC participants, and some were born after 2000. After rounds of selection as well as competition, they stood out among their peers and had the chance to join in the session.

The city's Model CPPCC is an annual event first held in 2016, intended to help students in high school and at university gain a deeper understanding of the country's political system and cultivate their sense of social responsibility.

They will observe this year's CPPCC's Beijing Committee session through its closing on Wednesday, sitting in on panel discussions and even meetings to review proposals.

These students are also bringing their "simulated proposals" to the session. 

One student is 17-year-old Li Jisen from Beijing 101 Middle School. He seemed nervous, yet excited at the same time.

"I feel honored to be present at the session. What I have learned from books is one thing, but when I'm here, during the CPPCC's Beijing Committee session, I can truly experience consultative democracy in China," he said.

Bi Wenrui, an ideology and politics teacher at Beijing University of Chemical Technology, said Model CPPCC greatly inspired his students.

"My students care about politics more than I thought. They have been eager to actively participate in these CPPCC-related activities," he said.

As of October 2019, more than 500 teachers and 14,000 students from 364 schools in Beijing have participated in Model CPPCC.