Beijing citizen Wang Xi'an, who works in the Chinese capital's "Silicon Valley," Zhongguancun, finished applying for his passport in just minutes Monday.

He was the first applicant at the new Zhongguancun personal passport registration office, which opened for business the same day. Wang now just has to wait to receive his passport by express delivery.

More than 20 applicants were waiting at the counter two hours after the office opened. "Many people in the hi-tech hub of Zhongguancun need to go abroad at times, so we have put an office here to raise the efficiency of passport registration and for the convenience of our clients," said an official in the Entry and Exit Administration of the Beijing Public Security Bureau.

The bureau said at present the Zhongguancun office accepted applications only from people going abroad for the first time, and sent passports to them by mail. Ten working days are required for an urgent application.

Another passport registration office will open in a matter of days in the Chaoyang District of east Beijing, where the city's Central Business District and embassies are located.

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2003)