The rest part of the headquarters were quiet though some of the staff were seen working in their offices.

All Sanlu plants have been ordered to stop production. A joint investigation team from the central government headed by the Ministry of Health is working in the company.

Tian Wenhua, sacked as board chairwoman and general manager of Sanlu on Sept. 16, was arrested and charged with producing toxic food a day later. Under Chinese law, she could face death penalty or life imprisonment if found guilty.

The new board chairman and general manager Zhang Zhenling was elected on Sept. 18. He has apologized to the public on behalf of the company and promised to deal with the incident properly.

But employees at the lowest level like Tian, a lady in her mid-thirties, were worried about their uncertain futures.

"I have no idea what will happen," she said. She had worked for Sanlu for 12 years and it was her first job. "What if the company shuts down and I lose this job? I am not young and it will be hard to find a new one. I have aged parents to support and a son in primary school."

But most employees have stood with the company. Tian stayed at the headquarters from morning to evening everyday including weekends, helping set up booths, hand out notices and answer questions from customers. "What I can do now is to do my own job," she said.

Talking about criticism from the public, her eyes watered, "I have been here so long that I feel part of this company. It was very sad to hear these words. I felt as if I was a bad person. But I am as ordinary as those who come to return powdered milk. My son drank it as well when he was young."

The neighborhood near the Sanlu headquarters is home to many of its employees and retired workers. Chen Xiuqiao, who retired from Sanlu seven years ago, has lived here for decades.

"I worked in Sanlu for about 30 years. The company developed well in the past few years. My pension increased," Chen said. "I never expected such an event. How could a firm with a history of 50 years come to this?"

The largest diary producer in Hebei has about 10,000 employees. The younger ones were less emotional, but also anxious about the future of their employer and themselves.

"What everyone here can do is wait. If it is a bad news, I hope a solution for workers comes as quickly as possible so that we have time to prepare for it," said a young woman working at the quality control lab, who refused to be named. "But I still hope the company can pull through this crisis. I like this job. I am willing to go on working for Sanlu."

(Xinhua News Agency September 22, 2008)