"The Chinese pyramid of authority and power stands on a foundation of elected grassroots representatives that act as capillaries for a two-way exchange of information between the Chinese people and their government. Then, the decision-making process of the government is guided by the information that has been absorbed through this foundation, which resulted in policies and measures that improve the livelihoods of the majority of the Chinese people," he wrote in the article.
Meyer believes that Western democracies could learn from China's capillary democracy.
Zhou Hanmin, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said China's democracy is a fluid and gradually formed system that keeps pace with the times.
A similar kind of democratic system is present across the villages in Dengzhou City, Henan Province in central China.
All major village issues are proposed by the local branches of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and then sent to the village Party committee and villagers' congress for discussion. After that, the issues are reviewed at a Party meeting, and a villager representative meeting makes the final decision.
In the end, the decision is then published to solicit opinions from the public.
Several years ago, village officials from Yandian Village in Dengzhou floated the idea of constructing a brick factory. However, about two thirds of the villagers voted against the decision over concerns that the factory might take up too much farmland. Thus, the plan was never approved.
Since then, the village continues to use this system, and other villages in Dengzhou have adopted it, too.
Wang Bing, head of the Organization Department of the CPC Dengzhou City Committee, said farmers would want to participate in a system that gave them a say in problems that concerned them.
They are competent, and enthusiastic to exercise their democratic rights, Wang added.
In recent years, some NPC deputies have taken to WeChat, an instant messaging app, to gather public opinion.
Yi Fengjiao, an NPC deputy who represents migrant workers, held a meeting in her workshop. She recorded suggestions and expectations for education and pension from the new generation of migrant workers.
Yi said she would make a proposal at this years' NPC session.
"It is a very democratic and direct way to reflect and resolve grassroots problems," Yi said.
Shi Weimin, a researcher at the Institute of Political Science under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China's grassroots democracy is not only consistent with national conditions and but also has some local characteristics.
That is how the draft outline of the 13th Five-Year Plan comes from grassroots wisdom, Shi said.
In 2020, when the 13th Five-Year Plan will be completed, Jiang Mengke will be 17 years old, Li Liancheng 70, and Yi Fengjiao nearly 40. Their proposals raised at the beginning of the five-year plan period are expected to bring more benefits to people across the nation via the capillary democracy.
