China's top political advisory body held a Spring Festival reception for the widows of late renowned figures Thursday.

Du Qinglin, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), introduced the achievements made by the advisory body in 2017 at the event.

Du said the CPPCC National Committee will always respect and care for these women, and he hoped they can provide valuable advice to help the CPPCC grow.

Among the attendees were Xu Huijun, widow of Zhu Guangya, a leading scientist in the development of nuclear weaponry, Huang Huanbi, widow of Israel Epstein, a Polish-born journalist, and You Kun, widow of Chen Jingrun, a celebrated mathematician.

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the gathering.

This year's Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Feb. 16.