Every spring, the two sessions attract hundreds of reporters from home and abroad. They are honored and excited to be in Beijing, but why?

Last year I had my first experience reporting on the country's two most important political meetings.

Many colleagues said they envied me because I was assigned to cover the artists' section of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. These are the stars who always stole the limelight.

I felt excited. I had covered arts and culture for 15 years and was curious to hear what the artists would say at the two sessions. How would they function as advisers to the government?

But I was slightly disappointed, as only two people impressed me.

One was Nobel-winning author Mo Yan, who said there was a greater need to protect traditional arts such as local operas from disappearing from public life. The other speaker was writer Feng Jicai, who advocated preserving old villages and intangible cultural heritage.

But this year, I heard many more ideas from cultural icons at the meetings. They not only talked about their sectors but showed concern for arts education and future generations.

Zhao Ruheng, 72, former president of the National Ballet of China and China Dancers Association, told me she suggested that the Ministry of Education issue special certificates for performing arts practitioners wanting to become teachers.

Many talented dancers start performing at age 16 or 17 and have no time to receive a college education, Zhao said, yet a graduate degree is required if they want to teach. Besides, it takes years for a former ballet dancer to get back to regular studies and much teaching time is wasted.

I have interviewed Zhao numerous times since I became a reporter in 2000. She has talked at length about her own career, her ballet productions, world tours and work with international choreographers.

But this time, I was most impressed by her concern about ballet education and the next generation of ballerinas.

Echoing her was director Chen Kaige, whose movie Farewell My Concubine won the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. He revealed that he was a middle school dropout.

"It is not necessary for a young man who has the talent to become a movie director to obtain a high score in the national college entrance exam," he told the meeting.

Beyond arts education, many members also proposed paying more attention to moral teachings.

Crosstalk artist Jiang Kun said Chinese parents and teachers are always pushing their children and students to get top grades, with little care for moral education.

At the end of the discussions, I felt like I was attending an Education Ministry program. But I noticed "artists' section" written on a door of the Beijing Conference Center, where the advisers had gathered for the session. It was that good.

Education secures the nation's future, after all.