Zhou Xiaoguang thought of the idea out of sheer practicality.

But it has blossomed into something of a smashing political success for the already highly successful businesswoman.

Zhou decided to become the only National People's Congress (NPC) deputy to ever buy advertising time on a television channel to solicit ideas and opinions from her constituents. Suddenly, her office was swamped with phone calls and mail from all over the country.

The hundreds of proposals went far beyond her expectations, but now Zhou is busy preparing to bring the best of them as motions to the second session of the Tenth NPC to be held in Beijing in March.

"I was a little bit surprised that so many people called me and told me all their problems,'' Zhou said.

That's an understatement.

The advertisement, which cost just $US2,400, began January 18 and will last to February 8 on the Yiwu Television Station. It has made Zhou a household name.

The chairwoman of a private jewelry company in Yiwu, a city in East China's Zhejiang Province,

Zhou said she got the idea of advertising for proposals from friends who live overseas.

"Since becoming a NPC deputy in 2003, I started to think about how to fulfill my honorable duties to do things for people who trusted and elected me," she said. "Advertising is a quick and convenient way to collect what the masses of people are thinking and require."

She said her time is usually occupied by business affairs, but being an NPC deputy requires she pay particular attention to ordinary people.

The idea received support from the local NPC Standing Committee, she said.

An agency named "The NPC deputy --- Comrade Zhou Xiaoguang's liaison office'' was established in Yiwu to assist Zhou in handling all the calls.

A hotline opened at the end of last month, as well.

A panel of experts composed of five veteran cadre members retired from directionships was established to survey the proposals made..

So far, about 300 phone calls have come in from across the country, most from people living in Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province.

Zhou says sometimes people who speak with strong local accents are difficult to understand, and she has to repeat their words many times.

About 64 per cent of proposals are important, such as calling for the government to enforce measures to cope with the issues concerning agriculture and farmers, demanding punishment of corruption, and asking for environmental protection, especially on water issues , according to Zhou.

One out of seven phone calls and letters concerns some private issue while another one-seventh expresses support for Zhou's efforts.

To Zhou, the strong feelings for common people comes not only from a sense of responsibility but from her background, she said.

She was born into a poor family and started making a living as an itinerant peddler when she was 17 years old.

With nothing, Zhou set up a jewelry company in 1995. It has become a leading Chinese jewelry trade firm.

" Thanks to the trust of people of Yiwu I was elected by more than one million people to be the only NPC deputy in Yiwu,'' said Zhou.

From life as an ordinary salesgirl to chairwoman of the board of directors of her company, Zhou said her dream remains in business rather than in politics.

" What I do is nothing other than serve the masses of people and the deputy should be the real one who speaks for the people.''

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