"Our country should not only make pencils with old newspapers, but also colorful magazines and picture books."

A "saving society", of course, does not end with recycled paper. Wastage on food, entertainment and transport by officials has been a frequent subject of public criticism.

In one of most notorious cases of its kind, as exposed by the State Administration of Auditing in 2003, a three-day meeting of national power authorities cost as much as 24,000 yuan (US$3,000) per person.

But with Beijing pushing for a stop to such extravagance, there have been signs of change. For instance, many people's congresses at the provincial level last month called on the NPC in Beijing to set the nation an example in saving in stationary, in paper size, in hotel use and even the size of the meeting.

The NPC and the CPPCC have used recycled paper for invitation cards and issued smaller press cards to 3,000 journalists. More digital devices have been introduced in conference management and fewer buses have been contracted for transporting delegates to the meetings.

The Great Hall of the People, the venue of the grand plenary sessions of the NPC and the CPPCC, has installed lighting controls that shut off power supply when the last batch of attendees leave a meeting hall.

Hotels booked by the NPC and the CPPCC have adopted environmentally-friendly room management, providing no disposable towels or tooth brushes.

But the media coup, for now, is the 10,000 pencils made from newspapers. 

(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2006)