Eye-catching figures to appear during 2013 Two Sessions

As China's top legislative body is to elect top state leaders in early March this year, the list of deputies to the top legislative body, along with members of the nation's top political advisory body, which began to be released to the public in January, have triggered nationwide concern.

Globaltimes.cn, the official website of the Global Times, has picked out some eye-catching figures from these lists as a part of its special online coverage of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), the nation's top legislative body and the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body, or the Two Sessions, this year.

The list includes a female villager from Shanxi who was elected NPC deputy, and Nobel laureate Mo Yan and former NBA player Yao Ming, who were elected as members of the 12th CPPCC, along with the nation's provincial officers and celebrities from all walks of life.

For the first time ever, the NPC is selecting urban and rural deputies based on population ratios, according to reports from the China News Service. While it's certain that more NPC deputies from rural areas will show up, the extent of their contribution remains in question. 

Elections of new lawmakers in all of China's counties and townships have been completed, with fewer officials being elected and an unprecedented equal representation of urbanites and farmers.

A statement by the NPC Standing Committee also highlighted drops in the ratio of seats held by Communist Party of China or government officials at the county and township levels, with both decreasing by 4.37 percent and 2.42 percent, respectively.

A Nobel laureate, a former NBA player and a number of film and TV stars were also elected as national political advisors this year.