Among the 3,000 delegates is former athlete who sits as an independent on the National People’s Congress

• What are China’s Two Sessions and why do they matter?

• More generals purged as gather in Beijing

Among the generally drab lineup of mostly middle-aged men in suits who make up the nearly 3,000 delegates to the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s parliament, a few stand out.

There are delegates from China’s 55 official ethnic minority groups, who often arrive dressed in traditional outfits rather than western-style suits. There are military members, identifiable by their uniforms. And then there is Yao Ming, the 7ft and 6in tall retired basketball player who, towering over every other person in the Great Hall of the People, is hard to miss.

Annual political gathering kicks off this week in Beijing with the economy, technology and the military high on the agenda

• More generals purged as Chinese delegates gather for event

China’s annual Two Sessions meetings begin this week, with thousands of political and community delegates descending on Beijing from across mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to ratify legislation, personnel changes and the budget over about two weeks of highly choreographed meetings.