On January 4, the first workday of 2005, reporters from Xinhua News Agency visited provincial government office buildings across the nation to determine whether civil servants were starting off the year on the right foot -- and on time.

In Shaanxi, Anhui, Liaoning and Guangdong provinces, employees were scheduled to begin work at 8:00. In Hebei and Sichuan, starting time is 8:30.

Shaanxi

7:40 Several lights were on in the provincial government office building, but doors of some offices remained closed.

7:55 The parking lot was almost full and employees were entering, well dressed and apparently in good spirits.

8:15 All doors on the 10th floor had been opened and people were in offices.

8:25 Car parking lot full and attendants indicated that the number of bicycles seemed to be nearly normal.

Of the 20 directorates and bureaux in the Shaanxi provincial government building, the number of early arrivals was approximately equal to those who were late. Most civil servants reached their offices between 7:55 and 8:10.

Anhui

7:45 The first employee arrived at the building.

7:50-8:00 Eighty employees arrived, plus a busload of commuters.

8:00-8:30 A total of 367 civil servants arrived, far exceeding the number of early or on-time arrivals.

Liaoning

7:50 Temperature was -19 degrees C but many employees arrived.

8:00-8:10 One hundred forty people arrived.

8:10-8:30 Another 60 arrived.

Although the receptionist arrived at precisely 8:00, a visitor to the office complained that no one had answered the phone when she called.

Guangdong

7:50 People began to arrive in cars and commuter buses. After brief greetings, employees headed for their own offices.

8:20 Few cars or employees appeared after this time.

8:30 In the Office for Letters and Complaints, dozens of petitioners had gathered and employees began to process their materials.

Hebei

8:10 Civil servants began to arrive about 20 minutes before office hours.

8:25 The last group of employees arrived.

8:30 One man holding a blue civil servant's pass entered the building in a rush. No holders of blue passes arrived in the next 20 minutes.

Sichuan

8:20-8:30 Civil servants arrived in small groups of two and three, apparently unrushed.

8:37-8:50 Eight individuals and two cars arrived.

8:50 Of more than 50 offices in the building, only 7 had their lights on and the remainder were locked. Of the 14 offices and one conference room on the second floor, the conference room was open but there were no people in the offices.

(Xinhua News Agency, translated by Wind Gu for China.org.cn, January 7, 2005)