Five days after their encounter at Zhongnanhai, migrant worker Fan Shusheng was still excited about having the opportunity to talk with Premier Wen Jiabao.

"I didn't recognize him (Wen) when I first saw him, even as he was walking right toward me," the 34-year-old construction worker from Henan said with a laugh. "He looked just so mild."

"But then I looked more closely and realized that I had seen him on TV. I thought, 'Oh! He is the Premier!'" Fan was quoted as saying by the Beijing News.

Fan, who was representing the country's 100 million farmers-turned-workers, said talking with the premier, even just for "5 minutes", meant that his "mission (was) completed". He also said the premier's promise of "gradually raising the salaries of migrant workers" had lifted his spirits.

Fan was not the only grassroots worker to meet the premier that day.

The unprecedented series of gatherings took place last Tuesday, when Premier Wen invited grassroots members of society to share their views on their daily lives ahead of the annual National People's Congress next month, where he is due to deliver his work report.

Altogether, the premier met with 12 people representing the country's policemen, farmers, village doctors, construction workers, taxi drivers, laid-off workers and agricultural equipment at his office, reported the Xinhua News Agency.

"I have said that the gates of Zhongnanhai are open to the public," Xinhua quoted Wen as saying.

"With power endowed by the people, it is a government of the people, for the people and by the people. This is our goal."

The premier said that in recent years, he had made it a regular practise to seek points of view from different people before delivering his work report at the opening of the annual meeting.

"But this is the first time that we have specifically held a meeting so that grassroots people could share their perspectives on the government's performance," Wen said. He added that he had encouraged the participants "to feel free in listing their wishes and criticism".

The representatives apparently lived up to Wen's expectations. For instance, Fan answered all of Wen's questions about his family and work.

And Xiao Yan, a laid-off worker from Liaoning, shared his ideas about finding work for the jobless. For example, he suggested that the government offer training courses or micro-finance schemes to the unemployed.

Wen took notes of the comments and suggestions raised throughout the 3-hour-plus meeting, which centered chiefly on social security, education, poverty-alleviation and rural policies.

Wen said the State Council was concerned about all of the issues the representatives brought up.

"A good work report should benefit from the advice and concerns of the masses. Then it will be a real report that is acceptable, understandable and practicable by our people," he said.

Source: China Daily