Covering China's Two Sessions: waiting, then a frenzy of activity
- Sharp elbows, an early start and the ability to endure the cold and confusion are vital tools for journalists covering the main event in China’s political calendar
It may not be a contest to everyone’s tastes – rising before dawn to stand in line for hours in Beijing’s smog and cold, and all for the prize of the rather dry-sounding annual government work report.
But for the handful of journalists huddled at the gate before the Great Hall of the People, professional pride was at stake as they vied to be the first to publish the key facts and figures.
The big news wires had arrived first, at around midnight, and as more journalists arrived they began to share snacks and stories, but never strayed far from their spot.
For these wires, it could come down to a matter of seconds as they raced to be the first to publish key economic indicators that could give businesses and investors around the world a vital edge.
But the relaxed, orderly mood was shattered at around 4am when a police van suddenly appeared and an officer started barking from the window that the journalists would have to clear the area, and move back to a security checkpoint a few hundred metres south of the square, where dozens of journalists had already been made to wait.
