China’s annual Two Sessions are just around the corner. What are the public's expectations this year? Reporters in Shanghai, Taiyuan and Chengdu conducted street interviews with local residents about their major concerns from the previous year.
Housing Prices
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Housing prisces continue to be the first and foremost concern for most people, especially those who are not local residents. People working in Shanghai and Chengdu spoke about their expectations of their future homes and wishes to be able to afford one.
Housing prices are extremely high for people who work in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Some homeowners of them will struggle their whole life to pay off their mortgages.
Environmental Protection
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Although the air quality in China over the previous year has improved a lot, it’s not as good as what most people expect it to be. A 50-year-old Shanghai resident mentioned that she hopes the government will put more legislative focus on protecting the environment, making the sky bluer and the water cleaner.
China made a lot of progress in environmental protection during 2017, but air quality still needs to be improved in some regions of the nation.
Medical Care
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Medical services are still a headache for those who need it. Some said it’s difficult to get registered into a good hospital and others are worried about the high medical expenses.
A 72-year-old man told the reporter that his pension is only 3500 yuan per month and that he hopes the government to bring down the cost of medical care.
Education
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Among the residents being interviewed, over 50 percent of them talked about how education has became confusing to them: Too many extra-curricular lessons taking up their children’s spare time instead of allowing them to find their own interests or relax after school.
Also, parents have to spend more money on those extra-curricular lessons. “We hope this negative trend to be changed.” said a middle-aged woman in Taiyuan.
Others
Other issues - including food safety, parking problems and online gambling - were raised by other residents during their interviews.
