Being in an occupation that abounds with night owls, getting up before 6 am for more than 10 consecutive days is already quite a challenge. But this is just the beginning for reporters covering the annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

The end of a working day for NPC deputies and CPPCC members is marked by the conclusion of the daily group discussion or a plenary session, usually at around 5 pm, but reporters still have to organize interviews from throughout the day and write stories for the next day's paper.

Less than three days after the start of the sessions, the faces of reporters covering the two sessions are marked with obvious fatigue. One colleague was once so tired that he even missed his stop when taking the subway home after 11 pm.