China's National People's Congress

The National People’s Congress (NPC) of China serves as the country's parliament and takes place annually in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The people choose the representatives who serve at the lower level directly. This lower level, in turn, elects the representatives at the next highest level to the NPC, with about 3,000 members. The NPC membership is elected for a five-year period.

It is a commonly held opinion among the public that the people's representatives only take part in the congress to give their approval to decisions that have already been made. Because voting once took place with a show of hands, the NPC is often derided as the "Army of hand-raisers." Nowadays, voting takes place using electronic apparatus. Votes in favor make up some 90 percent of the total.

This year, the NPC begins on March 5. The current legislative period is coming to an end. The leadership change is to be decided. The duties of the NPC are laid out in the constitution. Among them are making amendments to the constitution and the election and removal of the president, prime minister and ministers. In addition, the representatives are supposed to represent the will of the people.

The first session of the NPC took place under the leadership of the founder of the People's Republic Mao Zedong in Beijing in September 1954. It was then the Chinese constitution was adopted. The 14th Dalai Lama (first from right) and the 10th Panchen Lama (second from right), the highest religious leaders of Tibet also took part. They were invited as representatives of the Tibetan people.

After the Tibetan uprising in 1959, in which thousands of Tibetan monks rose up against their Chinese occupation only to be suppressed by force, the Dalai Lama had to flee to India. To this day, Beijing talks of "an armed rebellion of Tibetans against the Chinese government." Since then, the Dalai Lama has been considered a traitor and separatist in China.

While the Dalai Lama had to go into exile, the Panchen Lama continued to be a people's representative at the NPC. His religious successor, the 11th Panchen Lama, is today, at the age of 22, one of the youngest representatives.

The NPC lasts for about two weeks and, while in session, there is strict security. The hall is located on Tiananmen Square, where visitors and passers-by have to put up with much more frequent ID and bag checks than usual.

While the security forces work in the square outside, there appears to be little of interest going on inside. It's not difficult for a mischievous photographer to find subjects who have fallen fast asleep.

Even the former party chief in the city of Chongqing apparently had to battle with fatigue. This picture is from the last NPC. Could he have known then that one year later he would have been arrested on grounds of misuse of office and corruption?

After the last NPC, outgoing Prime Minister Wen Jiabao held a press conference in front of both Chinese and foreign journalists. It was the last such conference of his period in office. Responding to questions from journalists, Wen clearly indicated that the Chinese government would take the unfolding political scandal in Chongqing seriously.

At the 18th Communist Party Congress in November, 2012, delegates decided upon who should be their new party chairman. Xi Jinping (right) is also to become China's head of state. Xi has stressed several times that he will make the fight against corruption a focus of his agenda. Since then, several high-ranking party officials have been dismissed for corruption or for having extramarital affairs.

The outgoing president announced last year that he would be giving up all his official duties. It is expected that Xi Jinping (left) will be officially chosen as the new president at the NPC, as well as the commander-in-chief of the country's vast army. Serving Deputy Prime Minister Li Keqiang will become the new prime minister.