The change has been welcomed eagerly by people across Pingtan.

"In the past, I had no idea which government department I should turn to for government services, so I wasted a lot of time and energy in finding the right place," said Chen Yun, a resident of Pingyuan town. "The newly-opened service station near my home shall save me a lot of time."

This view was echoed by another local resident surnamed He, who applied for an ID card through the center in Liushui town.

The government administrative center in Liushui town, one of the newly-opened 15 town-level facilities in Pingtan, Fujian province [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"I haven't been back to Pingtan for a long time. The newly-opened service station brings us a lot of convenience," he said.

The purpose of establishing the centers is to ensure every request from local residents is dealt with in an efficient and timely manner, according to Miu Qiaoxia, an official from Pingtan bureau of administrative examination and approval.