Jackie Chan, a fashionista and an Olympic champ: celebrities and controversies at China’s big political show
We let you in on some of the big names set to attend the meetings and what controversy they might stir up this year.
Hollywood action movie star Jackie Chan
Chan has been in the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference – the nation’s top consultative body – since 2013. He has submitted film industry-related proposals at previous meetings, but it’s his behaviour on the sidelines of the events that has attracted the most attention.
The following year, he spoke out against the intense media coverage of him at the annual sessions. “[I] made headlines after hugging Song Zuying and was written about so much after saying just one word ‘duang’,” Chan said. “There are so many journalists. What should I say? I dare not speak.”
Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang
China’s “flying man” became the CPPCC’s youngest representative in 2008 at the age of 25. That year, he came under fire for missing a meeting at the plenary sessions to take part in a sports championship.
“The session must not be attended only when the stars have time,” a Chinese newspaper commentary said at that time. “Yes, it’s important to prepare for the Olympics, but isn’t the consultative job as a CPPCC member important?”
Nobel Prize-winning novelist Mo Yan
The writer was elected to the CPPCC after he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012. Guan Moye is his real name, but he is better known by his pen name Mo Yan, which means “don’t talk” in Chinese.
The novelist’s proposals at the meetings have so far been focused on education. He has suggested abolishing entry examinations for middle and high schools. Those proposals sparked heated debate among parents and education experts.
Former premier’s daughter Li Xiaolin
That year, Li was pictured wearing a salmon-pink Emilio Pucci pantsuit and a Chanel pearl necklace worth about 22,000 yuan (US$3,200)in total. Her attire triggered heated discussion on how political power intersects with personal wealth in China, with many speculating that she had benefited hugely from her father’s influence.
Internet tycoon Pony Ma Huateng
Ma, founder of internet giant Tencent and China’s third richest man, has been a delegate of the National People’s Congress of Guangdong province since 2013. Until he and Lei Jun, co-founder of tech giant Xiaomi were elected as NPC deputies that year, there were no representatives from the internet industry.
‘Emperor of Chinese television’ Chen Daoming
Chen, a household name in China, was elected to the CPPCC in 2003. He has been dubbed the “emperor of Chinese television” as he has acted as an emperor in many films. He has also starred in internationally released films such as Zhang Yimou’s Hero and Coming Home, as well as the Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs 3.
In the CPPCC, Chen has been an outspoken deputy. He has previously criticised China’s strict censorship in films and television dramas.
‘Glass king’ Cao Dewang
The billionaire, who made his fortune by making glass for the world's top carmakers, joined the CPPCC advisory body in 2013 as a representative of China’s private entrepreneurs.
It was cheaper to run his business in America because it had lower taxes compared with China, he told a Chinese newspaper at that time. His remarks triggered public debate over whether the days of China as a manufacturing haven were over.
Members of the media at the Two Sessions this year will likely pay close attention to what Cao has to say about China’s economic outlook and government policies on private firms.