Statue of Sun-Yat-sen
Proposal by CPPCC delegate Wang Xingdong, screenwriter and author, and Yu Lian, president of Beijing Urban Construction Group. The mainland should accelerate unification with Taiwan by casting a big bronze statue of Dr Sun Yat-sen in Tiananmen Square. Sun led a revolution that replaced imperial rule in China with democracy, an event recognised by the Communist Party on the mainland and the ruling Kuomintang Party in Taiwan. This year marks the centenary of the revolution, and a statue of Sun in the heart of the mainland's political centre would send a signal to the world that Beijing is pushing for political reform, embracing more democracy and freeing more economic sectors, improving China's image around the world. Sun's portrait has been put up in the square during big celebrations, but afterwards it is always scrapped. What a waste! If the government approves the proposal, we will pay all costs.
Real-name microblogs
Proposal by NPC delegate Li Danyang, singer. The government should tighten control of the internet, imposing a real-name system on microblogs to prevent social instability. Microblogging has become a hotspot on the Chinese internet, increasingly spreading, if not generating, news that is picked up by other media. Microblogging is sometimes beautiful, such as when it saves children from trafficking and abuse, but sometimes it is ugly, too, assisting the spread of rumours. To some people, microblogging is a weapon of defamation. I propose everyone must blog with their real name.
