Exhausted, but raring to go

For the first time, China Daily is able to use a media studio in the Great Hall of the People for the duration of the NPC and CPPCC sessions.

It may not have made a big difference to the reporters from the newspaper, but for us at the multimedia department of the China Daily website, it means quality interviews and more exclusives.

Before the start of the two sessions, when all the print reporters were buzzing about trying to think of topics to cover or questions to ask, we were busy setting up the studio and sorting out technical problems.

We have to share the studio with another website this year and we were told way ahead of time to maintain a harmonious work relationship with them. Not only are we to share the studio, we can also share the resources.

When two groups are working in an environment designed primarily for one, inconveniences can occur.

The rush to meet tight deadlines amid packed schedules of newsmakers can also add to greater competition among different media organizations for stories.

The good thing is, all of that also made all of us try harder at our jobs.

Similarly, the studio is crowded on most days and the members or delegates of the sessions often form lines for interviews.

There were also days when we would end up with 15 or more interviews and there were only four of us from the multimedia department who actually went to the Great Hall.

We did not have time to edit all the interviews even if we wanted to. We had a whole team working behind us. No matter the time - sometimes as late as 11 pm - you could be sure we had a full house in the office.

Even though we are often totally exhausted, if given a choice, most of us would want to do it all over again.

I know I would.