By Gao Dingbo and Wu Jin

Preparing proposals, joining in discussions, giving interviews, and voting in the sessions-the procedures of the ongoing National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) tend to become part of the annual routine to long-serving deputies.

Yet interest in the yearly events does not wane for those delegates who have attended the assemblies for several years; instead they are conscious of the most minor of changes.

Huang Youyi, vice president of the International Federation of Translators and also a member of the 11th National Committee of CPPCC, is one of them.

Huang Youyi, vice president of the International Federation of Translators and also a member of the 11th National Committee of CPPCC

"The timetable of the shuttle service between the conference venue and the hotel follows a more reasonable schedule than before. The later departure leaves us more time to get ready before attending the meetings. In previous years, we usually arrived at the conference hall half an hour earlier than the meetings were scheduled. It provided us with few options besides chatting and idling," Huang said in an interview with China.org.cn. "The new schedule avoids traffic jams and saves us time," he emphasized.

According to Huang, timing is not only the alteration in the shuttle service. "As the weather is still cold in early March, the drivers used to turn on the heating system 10 minutes before the deputies boarded the bus. It was warm but caused unnecessary emissions and some delegates proposed reducing the waste. This year, the drivers are asked not to switch on the heating system until all the passengers are seated in the bus," Huang said. "Although the air is a little bit chilly inside, in no way does it dampen the enthusiasm of the delegates."

(China.org.cn March 12, 2009)