The 81890 hotline gives Ningbo residents and visitors easy access to a range of services, including babysitters, house cleaning, weather, and information on accommodation and sightseeing, said Dai Yun, the director of the informatization division at Ningbo's Information Industry Bureau, speaking to attendees at the recent China Computerworld CEO & CIO Summit in Beijing.

Hotlines like this are a cost-effective means of giving citizens access to government services, said Lin Shaoqing, the director of the agriculture bureau in Sanming City. Sanming's 155 hotline was developed to improve access to agricultural information that farmers need, he said.

Farmers require more than information about planting or herding techniques, Lin said. They also need information about prices, supply and demand, and answers to technology-related questions, he said.

Before the implementation of the hotline system, Sanming's farmers needed to visit government offices in person to consult with agricultural officials. Often, they were unable to locate the officials they needed to meet with. Now, by calling 969155 farmers can directly reach the agricultural service center, which will try to answer their questions. In the event they cannot solve the problem, the service center will forward the call to the office or mobile phone of the government official who is able to provide the requested information, Lin said.

As a result of the hotline system, local farmers no longer need to waste their time when seeking help from government officials and agricultural specialists, Lin said, noting that the annual operating cost of running the hotline is around 100,000 renminbi (US$12,385).