| Sumario: | Despite extensive research on women's substantive representation in parliaments, China's women's congresses—designated representative bodies for women at every administrative tier—remain understudied. Based on fieldwork in four county-level units, this article demonstrates that although these congresses are often dismissed as mere 'talk shops' due to their quinquennial meetings, they play a significant role in women's representation. Owing to the Women's Federations' (WF) weak positioning and unresponsiveness, congress representatives engage in an alternative form of representation which we call 'everyday representation': modest, dispersed, and quiet acts outside formal sessions that meet women's immediate needs without pursuing policy change. Rather than depending on WF resources, everyday representation primarily draws on representatives' personal networks and professional resources. These findings advance our understanding of representational practices and reveal complex networks of interest articulation among women in Chinese politics.
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