Beijing authorities switched off the landscape lights and flood lamps at Wangfujing, the busiest commercial street in the Chinese capital, for 30 minutes Sunday night, in the hope of raising the public awareness of saving energy.
The lamps along the 810-meter-long street and indoor lights were not shut off during the blackout so people could shop as usual, said Li Jun, an official with the construction and management office of the Wangfujing area.
"The glamorously-lighted street has been a famous tourist attraction for more than 20 years. I think a blackout here is significant to promote energy conservation for sustainable development," said Li.
In some communities of Beijing, residents also switched off lights and unplugged appliances in the mean time to experience the adverse effects caused by lack of energy.
Beijing is one of the eight Chinese cities, which also include Shanghai, Harbin, Xi'an, Chongqing, Nanjing, Wuhan and Shenzhen, that joined in this "nationwide energy saving activity" proposed by the National Development and Reform Commission early this month.
In Shanghai, the landscape lights on the Bund were off from 8 p.m. till 8:30 p.m. while more than 300 guests from all walks of life, in white T-shirts printed with "nationwide energy saving activity," were invited to perform a chorus on the Bund.
"The 30-minute blackout is surely exemplary but I hope the government can take some concrete measures to adjust the lighting system and promote the energy-saving lamps," said Long Weiding, a professor at Tongji University.
北京市的官员在星期日晚上关闭了首都最繁华的商业街王府井的景观灯和喷泉彩灯，持续了30分钟。此举的目的是唤起民众的节能意识。
但是，810米长街道两边的灯和室内的灯光都没有关闭，这样在灯火管制期间人们可以照常购物。在王府井建设与管理办公室任职的李军（音）介绍说。
20多年来，五彩霓虹灯打扮的街道一直是一个著名的旅游景观。“我认为在此进行灯火管制对推动可持续发展的节约能源是非常重要的。”李军说。
在北京的一些地方，居民们也关闭电灯，拔掉插头，同时体会由于能源短缺所带来的不便。
北京是中国八个推行此项活动的城市之一，其它还有上海、哈尔滨、西安、重庆、南京、武汉和深圳。国家发改委于本月早些时候提议这些城市举办这样一个“全国节能活动”。
在上海，外滩上的景观灯从上午8：00一直关闭到晚上8：30，同时300名坚持步行观点的客人，穿着印有”全国节能活动“的白色T恤被邀请在外滩进行合唱表演。
来自同济大学的龙伟鼎（音）教授说，”30分钟的灯火管制肯定是可以仿效的，但是我希望政府可以采取一些有效措施来调整照明系统，推行节能灯的使用。“
