I am a symbol of how education can change lives

This is the first time I have traveled by plane. Beijing has been my dream destination since childhood.

The flight took just three and a half hours. I took a nap on the plane, and was astonished to find that we had arrived in Beijing.

I live in Xinle, a village in the Diqing Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province, and was selected from the three candidates there.

Apart from my status as a college graduate, I think my cheerful personality and communication skills were the main reasons for my electoral success.

Before leaving, I spoke with some villagers and collected their ideas and requests for the two sessions. Based on those investigations, I drafted two suggestions.

As a representative from the province with the largest number of impoverished people, I am calling for more technological support to help farmers improve the size and quality of crop yields.

Many families in the prefecture plant herbs, such as Paris polyphylla, aka Himalayan Paris, and Chinese angelica. They sell for good prices and are suited to the local climate, but the quality varies due to a lack of professional guidance. Also, local farmers know little about demand and supply, which means their incomes are unstable.

There are only about 20 college graduates in my village of 2,000 people, so I suggested the introduction of more preferential policies to raise the level of education among ethnic people and raise awareness of the importance of education.

The Lisu is one of about 20 ethnic groups in the country that transitioned directly from primitive or slave communities to the socialist society after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Many villagers are poorly educated, and parents encourage their children to start work at an early age because they don't understand how education can change lives.

The government should provide more training courses for ethnic people, and encourage businesses to recruit educated villagers so people will see a brighter future through education.

I hope my election will inspire the other villagers, because I am a symbol of how education can change lives.

Q&A

How did you feel when you were elected to the NPC?

It was a surprise. All my relatives and many neighbors came to my home to congratulate me. My mother made a traditional Lisu dress for me to wear to the two sessions.

What suggestions have you made?

I called for technological support to help local farmers improve the size and quality of crop yields. I also suggested that the government should release more preferential policies to raise the level of education among ethnic groups.

How will you undertake your role in the next five years?

I know I carry a heavy responsibility. I've asked many older deputies about their experiences. They told me good suggestions always come from deep research, so, I will go deep into people's lives to understand their difficulties and needs, and will try my best to be a good deputy.

Li Jinlian spoke with Yang Wanli.