Odd proposals

ID card could encourage returnees to settle

Ma Jianguo, a delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, suggested that a special identity card be issued to overseas Chinese to encourage them to return to China and start businesses, Xinhua reports. He proposed providing returning Chinese with equal opportunities in areas such as education, medical care and buying property. He said they should not need visas to visit and should be allowed permanent residence.

Delegates want TV gala day to be moved

Zhu Yilong, vice-chairman of the All China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and a delegate to the CPPCC, proposed moving the Central China Television gala from the eve of the Lunar New Year to the next day, the Guangzhou Daily reports. Zhu said the gala had started to overshadow other traditions unique to different places and ethnic minorities on that evening. Sixteen other delegates agreed with the proposal.

NPC deputy wants surrogates outlawed

National People's Congress deputy Wu Donglan, a Communist Party committee chief in a Hunan village, proposed making surrogate births a criminal offence, Xinhua reports. She said they violated social customs, traditional culture and morality standards by making surrogate mothers 'tools' and their babies 'commodities'. Hunan lawyer Qin Xiyan, who is also an NPC deputy, agreed and said medical staff who assisted, as well as agents who operated surrogate services, should receive up to three years in jail.

More males sought to teach boys to be men

Weng Guoxing, vice-president of Fujian Provincial Hospital, proposed increasing the number of male teachers in primary and high schools, to make boys more manly, the Qilu Evening News reports. Weng said that the lack of male teachers made boys indecisive and more likely to become yes-men. Universities should admit an equal number of male and female students who want to be teachers, even if it meant lowering standards for male applicants.

Call for flexibility in primary school entrance

CPPCC delegate Feng Shiliang proposed that primary schools be more flexible with student admissions and stop using August 31 as an absolute cut-off date for students who are not yet six years old, the Liaoning Daily reports. Feng said some women even scheduled caesarian section births to ensure their child was born by August 31.

Deputy proposes making 'academic fraud' a crime

Tianjin NPC deputy Yan Xijun proposed making 'academic fraud' a crime, the China Youth Daily reports. Yan said those who lied or cheated in their research to gain funding were simply warned and not bound by law, providing little reason to avoid such actions.

Stockpiling vegetables 'would level prices'

Sun Qixin, an NPC delegate and president of Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, suggested the government stockpile vegetables to stabilise prices, the Yangtse Evening Post reports. He said the government should buy them when they were plentiful, then sell them when market supplies were low. He suggested freezing the vegetables to preserve them.

More transparency needed in interviews

Lin Yi, an NPC delegate who works at the Agriculture and Forestry Bureau of Wenling city, Zhejiang province, proposed recording all interviews of civil service applicants to prevent under-the-table deals, the Today Morning Express reports. She also called for more transparency in the disclosure of examination results and interviews of potential public servants, as many candidates had no idea why they were not selected.