Fireworks light up the Beijing sky as the 29th Summer Olympic Games begin on August 8, 2008. Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou orchestrated the spectacular opening ceremonySPLENDID OPENING: Fireworks light up the Beijing sky as the 29th Summer Olympic Games begin on August 8, 2008 [Xu Jiajun]

Ambitions

At the First Session of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, 2,237 members submitted more than 1,000 proposals covering a wide range of areas, including national development strategies, policies related to people's livelihood and industry-specific suggestions.

Yuan Longping

Yuan Longping, known as "the father of hybrid rice" whose high-yield crop accounts for 20 percent of global rice production, spoke about his dream at the session.

"I have two dreams. One is to relax in the cool shade of rice as tall as sorghum with grains as big as peanuts. The other dream is to develop a rice species that can yield 15,000 kg per hectare as soon as possible, and I also wish to train younger people to develop higher-yielding rice species," Yuan said.

Yao Ming

Former NBA star Yao Ming called for efforts to boost physical education. "Physical education should not only be about competitive sports, rather it should be part of a school curriculum that helps students build a strong body and mind," he said.

Zhou Youma

Zhou Youma, Director of the George Hatem (Ma Haide) Foundation that mainly assists leprosy patients and their families, said that he wishes "China and other countries in the world will help each other and walk into a more beautiful future together."

Shi Jie, a lawyer and Vice President of the Sichuan Provincial Lawyers Association, said that he wishes to safeguard social justice and protect the environment. He submitted proposals calling for revision of environmental protection laws to impose harsher penalties on enterprises and individuals damaging the environment.

Shi Jie

In addition to advancing proposals to improve people's livelihood, members also deliberated on the country's development strategies.

At the 18th CPC National Congress held in Beijing last November, the Party set the goal to build China into a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way by the year 2021, and a strong and modern socialist country that is democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious by the year 2049.

Chi Fulin

Chi Fulin, President of the China Institute for Reform and Development based in Hainan Province, said that transformation of the growth pattern and deepening reform are crucial to the realization of the Chinese dream.

Chi said that in the next decade, while China will continue to grow, it should avoid the "middle-income trap" and seek equitable and sustainable development. He suggested consumption should be an endogenous factor that drives economic growth, and more people should be able to share the fruits of prosperity. He said that the market should be kept competitive and efficient, and the government should be focused on public services.

Mo Yan

CPPCC members also shared their ideas on how to promote cultural development. Mo Yan, the 2012 Nobel laureate in literature, said that arts groups and artists should be given greater incentives so that they will produce creative and internationally advanced works.

Jackie Chan

Hong Kong filmmaker Jackie Chan said, "Many of my foreign friends like traditional Chinese arts and crafts very much, and every time they come to China, they will bring odds and ends back including chopsticks and spoons. Their popularity testifies to the glamour of the country's 5,000-plus-year-old culture."

Yet, Chan warned, "If the Chinese culture is not presented to the world, it will never be understood."

Feng Yuan

Feng Yuan, Vice President of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, suggested that China should have world-class designers and a steady stream of talented persons in reserve to make the country's cultural products more competitive and influential in the world.

The Chinese dream is the aggregate wish of generations of Chinese people and a vivid depiction of the country's future, said CIPG President Zhou Mingwei. "By telling the world about their dreams, Chinese people wish to clear up misunderstandings, and seek common prosperity and progress with other nations through more cooperation," he said.

Wang Gengnian

Wang Gengnian, Director General of China Radio International, said that China seeks peaceful and harmonious development, and China's development will benefit the world.

Huang Youyi

As for how to precisely present the Chinese dream to the world, Huang Youyi, Vice President of the CIPG, said, "On one hand, we should have a devoted and skillful cross-cultural communication team; on the other hand, we should make more foreign friends who understand Chinese culture, so that they can help us tell the world about China's unique culture and core value of peaceful development."

(Wang Zhenhong, Xiao Bing, Chen Weisong, Sun Penghao, Hou Ruili, Xu Xun, Duan Wei and Zhao Xi contributed to this story)