A 14-year-old teenager was cordially invited to attend the annual conference of the Shenzhen political advisory body, a part of the local two sessions, according to Beijing Youth Daily.

Liu Bo is the youngest and the only student among the 10 youth delegates invited. Liu graced the local two sessions as a local youth representative observer to participate in political affairs.

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This is the first instance that the city of Shenzhen has had youth representatives sit in and listen during the meetings. This initiative reflects the city's desire to let the younger generation participate in politics and hear their voice, although their attendance raised some concerns of whether they could fully comprehend the topics being tackled in the discussions.

As per a Communist Youth League of China's representative, Liu as well as the other youth participants have the right to know what is going on in the meetings. As observers, the youth delegates will get the chance to hear the reports and panel discussions made by the two sessions' members, but cannot submit proposals.

Prior to attending the conference, Liu did his initial research and gathered nearly 100 suggestions from students, which he put forward during a symposium days before the two sessions in Shenzhen commenced. His ideas earned him a lot of attention, particularly his suggestion on exam process, citing that self-discipline and exams, or test papers, are not deciding factors of a teenager's future. 

"I hope exams can be used to not only assess our performance but also help improve our all-round capabilities," he said. Furthermore, Liu also talked about the so-called Maker Culture and innovation-driven education. He explained how schools are not able to meet expectations when it comes to innovation education. However, he hopes "there will be some related courses arranged in the future."

Liu is suitable to represent the youth body as he is a member of the Chinese Young Pioneers National Working Committee, the largest children's organization for children between 6 and 14 years old in China. The committee is managed by the Communist Youth League, an older youth organization that is under the Communist Party of China.

According to Liu Bo's mother, Liu has had a lot of prior experience in student meetings and idea proposals as he is a student representative himself. She revealed that after the meeting, Liu's focus broadened that instead of entirely concentrating on issues related to children, his concern grew more on how to make Shenzhen a better city.

TagsLiu Bo, Two Sessions, Shenzhen, youth delegate, Chinese Young Pioneers National Working Committee, Communist Youth League, Communist Party of China