The National People's Congress of China, published in English by the Beijing-based Foreign Languages Press earlier this year, provides scholars with full and accurate information on the NPC model, which embodies the democratic life of the Chinese people.

It is the first English book on the subject written by a Chinese political scholar.

Besides an accurate depiction of the history and operation of the NPC system, the book also includes brief reviews of the history of the Chinese political system from the Xia Dynasty (c. 21st century-16th century BC) through the founding of the People's Republic of China.

This might be especially helpful for overseas readers to better understand the cultural patterns that have affected the current NPC system.

The author, Jiang Jinsong, is a former staff researcher of the NPC and is now an Associate Fellow of the Political Science Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

According to Jiang, writing a comprehensive book in English about the NPC model for Western readers had been on his schedule for a long time.

It took three years for Jiang to finish the book, which is based on his personal experiences with the NPC as well as consultation with other experts on the subject.

The author says that the book will serve English readers as a primer on the NPC.

"I have sought to emphasize for the readers detailed descriptions about how the NPC actually operates," Jiang wrote in the preface.

For more advanced scholars, the author has attempted to explain the subtle ethos that underlies the institutionalization of the NPC and why it functions as it does.

To balance his understanding and explanation about the NPC, Jiang also included valuable views and arguments about the NPC from leading Chinese political and academic figures.

Obviously, Jiang's own reasoning about the NPC model permeates the work. In the book, he also points out some improvements to the model.

(China Daily June 18, 2003)