Although I was assigned to cover this year's two sessions, I was not interested in the grand meeting at first.

Deputies discuss the annual national budget involving trillions of yuan, and I am only a humble wage earner. What has that to do with me?

My first trip was to the hotels where delegations from Henan province and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region were staying. I arrived early along with the delegations to get familiar with them.

That trip changed my mind about the two sessions.

As I stood in the hall of a hotel, I happened to recognize a deputy, Li Guangyu, head of the Affiliated High School of Peking University, Henan branch. We talked a little while and the topic turned to what advice or motion he would offer this year.

"Educational equality," he said. "Only 7.5 percent of Henan high school graduates enroll at key universities. The percentage is 24 for Beijing and Tianjin and 22 for Shanghai. I'm always proposing giving Henan students more opportunities, and this year I will continue."

Born and raised in Henan myself, I could not agree more. Thirteen years after graduating from high school, I still often have nightmares about the days before taking the gaokao, the national college entrance exam. The number of college applicants from Henan was highest in the nation, yet the chance of admission ranked much lower.

Had I made a habit of sleeping earlier over the years, I might not have been part of China Daily today.

That afternoon, I also interviewed college presidents, a judge from a local court and a doctor who has been practicing medicine in a village for 49 years. Their motions and proposals varied, but they had one thing in common: they were practical. One college president called for fair education; the judge hoped to strengthen labor protection; the village doctor proposed to provide better medical conditions for rural regions to protect people's health.