Real conversations, endearing experiences

Walking into the Great Hall of the People this March, my steps were steadier than last year.

If last year I was a "freshman" — stepping into the grand narrative of China's two sessions with curiosity and a bit of nervousness — this year, I feel like a reporter with a bit more confidence.

The biggest change? Courage. I no longer hesitate with my microphone, wondering if I should approach someone. Now, I walk straight up to NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members, introduce myself, and ask for interviews. And honestly? The best part is seeing the surprised look on their faces when I start speaking fluent Chinese — like, "Wait, your Chinese is actually this good?"

Those moments turn interviews into real conversations. They remind me that language is not just a tool for conveying information; it is a bridge that brings people closer. Once that initial awkwardness fades, what's left is a purer focus on the stories themselves.

The moment that moved me most this year? Singing the national anthem again.

Someone once asked me: you've sung it so many times, why does it still stir you? My answer is simple. The national anthem is not just melody and lyrics — it is a solemn reminder. It reminds me to hold this song and this country in reverence. It reminds me that at this moment, standing here, I am sharing the same emotion and strength with thousands of others.

Many songs grow familiar with repetition, but not this one. Every time it starts, I find myself singing along without thinking. In that vast hall, singing together with thousands of people, you do not just understand "resonance" as a concept — you feel it in your chest.

Interestingly, just one month before this year's two sessions, I had two filming experiences that gave me a deeper perspective as I walked into the Great Hall of the People.

One was a trip to Fujian province to film an episode of Decoding China, where I interviewed Wang Yongcheng, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress. He is the first visually impaired deputy in the history of New China. Talking with him, I truly understood what "whole-process people's democracy" means in practice.

The proposals he brought to Beijing came from Braille documents he had touched and voices he had listened to. He showed me that democracy is not just about applause in a conference hall — it is about ensuring every voice can be heard, even if it has to be read through fingertips.

The other was participating in the filming of Shining Wisdom, where I discussed the NPC system and whole-process people's democracy. That episode made me realize: China's socialist democracy is not an abstract theory on paper. It is a living mechanism, running every day, intertwined with ordinary people's lives.

If last year my journey was about transforming "from visitor to voice", this year I would add another layer: from observation to understanding. My job is not just to transmit voices — it is to build a bridge. So that people from different cultures and perspectives can see that inside this Great Hall of the People in spring, the discussions are not just about grand policies. They are about everyday lives. And me? I will keep singing the story of China. And I will keep telling it.

Contact the writer at dylan.austin.walker@21stcentury.com.cn