Every year, members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) submit about 5,000 proposals, with their suggestions on solving various issues in the country. The proposals are not legally binding, but some lead the government to sit up and pay attention. 

每年，全国政协委员都提出大约5000件提案，并提出解决国内各种问题的建议。这些提议并不具有法律约束力，但有些提案却让政府予以关注。

One example is CPCCC member Xu Jin's proposal on China's housing problems, which pushed the government to take action.

其中一个例子就是全国政协委员许进关于中国住房问题的提议，这促使政府采取行动。

The Chinese public have been complaining about the high housing prices for years. But few knew homeowners faced another problem, until Xu raised it in 2013.

多年来，中国民众一直在抱怨房价居高不下。但很少有人知道房主面临着另一个问题，直到许进2013年提出这个问题。

"The life cycle for residential buildings in China is only 50 years, but people are paying for 70 years of property rights to buy them. It's unequal," said Xu.

“在中国，居住建筑的生命周期只有50年，但人们要支付70年的产权来购买。这是不平等的。”许进说。

Five years ago, he proposed extending the lifespan of housing to at least 70 years. He was also concerned about environmental issues.

5年前，他提议将住房的寿命延长到至少70年。他还关心环境问题。

"The short period between reconstruction also damages the environment. China's construction waste every year piles up to the size of a Himalayan mountain," said Xu.

“重建的短暂时期也破坏了环境。中国的建筑垃圾每年都堆积到喜马拉雅山脉的大小。

His proposal was handed over to the housing ministry, which spoke with him several times. 

他的建议被移交给了与他交谈过几次的住建部门。

"At first they questioned me. They said our problem now is the buildings are dismantled before they can reach their life limit. I said it's because old buildings are not dense and tall enough, so developers like to turn six floors into 20 floors and make money. But who will dismantle a 20-floor building for a hundred-floor one in the future, for people to live in?" Xu questioned. 

一开始他们问我。他们说，我们现在的问题是，建筑物在达到生命极限之前就被拆除了。我说：“这是因为老房子不够密集，不够高，所以开发商喜欢把6层楼变成20层，然后赚钱。但是，谁会拆除一栋20层的大楼，让人们住在未来的100层楼里呢?”许进质疑道。

The third time they spoke, the ministry told him it's starting the process to amend the design standards. 

他们第三次答复时，住建部告诉他，正在启动修改设计标准的程序。

"I said I'm still not satisfied because you didn't give me a timetable. If you take 10 years to amend the standards, China's construction peak has passed. And within a century, when you open your window, dangerous buildings are everywhere, will you feel sorry?" 

我说：“我还是不满意，因为你没有给我一个时间表。如果你花10年时间修改标准，中国的建设高峰已经过去了。在未来一个世纪内，当你打开窗户，危险的建筑到处都是，你会感到遗憾吗?”

Two years later, Xu's proposal was written into the central government's urban construction plan at the end of 2015. Xu feels only half satisfied. 

两年后，许进的建议在2015年底被写入中央政府的城市建设计划。许进觉得很满意。

He still talks about the issue to the media every year, to let the public know the facts better and push the government to make the ultimate change.

他每年都要向媒体谈论这个问题，让公众更好地了解事实，推动政府做出最终的改变。

Every year advisors submit about 5,000 proposals. The proposals are handed over to the concerned local governments, who will have answers to them one by one. Xu said that as an advisor, he tries to make sure each proposal makes good sense, and expects the governments to take real action, faster.

每年，全国政协委员都会提交大约5000份提案。这些建议被移交给有关的地方政府，这些地方政府将逐一回答这些问题。许进说，作为一名政协委员，他努力确保每一个提议都有意义，并希望政府采取切实更的行动。