Eighty high-school students in Shanghai on Monday deliberated and voted on two "proposals" at a simulated session in the conference hall of the city's legislature.

The hall is the place where the city's laws and regulations come into being with the approval of legislators.

"I felt the solemn duty of law-making when I read my proposal and voted for it. I now understand the meaning of 'all the rights in the People's Republic of China belong to the people'," said Zheng Yifei, who set out a proposal on the recycling of used textbooks.

The two proposals were raised by the teenagers themselves, saidtheir teachers. The 80 students from Shidong Middle School at first raised more than 30 proposals, but the simulated session could only allow the discussion and vote of two.

It is the first time that students have taken part in this simulated law-making process in the city.

"Courses on traditional culture must be given in middle school,as some students are even unable to write simple Chinese characters after spending too much time on computers and learning English," said Ji Yu, an 18-year-old girl who raised the proposal to make courses on Chinese traditional culture compulsory in Shanghai's middle schools.

However, a student named Bao Wenyan argued such courses are notsuitable for middle-school students because Chinese traditional culture has negative elements such as discrimination against womenand blind obedience to emperors.

Another student Tang Zhigang said it may be improper to force every student to study courses on traditional culture without comprehensive research, since it may develop an aversion to study.

The students waged a hot debate on the issue, and Ji turned outto be the winner as 40 votes were for her proposal, with 23 against and one abstention.

To Zheng Yifei's disappointment, her proposal on the recycle ofused textbooks was rejected by the student deputies. The proposal is aimed at economic use of old textbooks and reducing expenses.

The students came to the simulated session at the invitation ofthe Shanghai People's Congress, the local legislature.

The Shanghai People's Congress will continue to invite citizensto visit the city's legislature and show them the process of legislation, in a bid to enhance people's awareness on democracy and law, said a senior member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai People's Congress.

(Xinhua News Agency February 21, 2006)