Mok Chin Wai
The Two Sessions Conference Press Card is just like the ID card. The reporter’s name, media name and a recent photo are printed on it. Both of the foreign or mainland NPC and CPPCC reporters must wear it to every Two Sessions venue they go, otherwise the security personnel would not let them pass through the Tiananmen Square area and to the Great Hall of the People.
Upon arrival in Beijing, the first place that we went to was not the hotel or the Tiananmen Square, it was the visit to the MediaCenter to collect the Two Sessions Press Card.
The security measures of the Two Sessions Conference were tight and strict. Our lodging was only about 15 minutes walk to the Tiananmen Square, but we needed to pass though at least two checkpoints before entering the Square. At every checkpoint, the security personnel would operate a high-tech device to check out people’s identity and belongings.
When our press cards were tapped on the device, the device would then detect the press card data and the mugshot to check out whether it is true or bogus. Inside the Great Hall of the People, there was a security post at the entrance to check the press card again. One security officer kept asking me and other Chu Hai students why our press card mugshots were smaller than others, obviously suspicious about the authenticity of our press cards.
We were scared about checkpoints everywhere in the Tiananmen Square area, but we also treasured the press card that gave us a free entry to every Two Sessions venue. The press card is now a special souvenir to us, a seal that reminds us of how we were part of the 2014 Two Sessions Conference.
