An online survey by China Youth Daily showed strong support for a decision by top leaders in Guangzhou to meet directly with petitioners. More than 90 percent of 5,306 people polled said the initiative should be spread nationwide. But experts were more skeptical.

After reading a report on how the Guangzhou municipal leaders personally received petitioners, Zhu Xiang, a petitioner from Beijing, said, "It's a great step forward and shows the government is really trying to listen to people."

Just window dressing

The survey found 76.2 percent thought the Guangzhou government was genuinely trying to listen, and 48.7 percent thought they had chosen an effective approach.

But Zhao Chenggen, vice dean of School of Government, Peking University, sounded a note of caution.

"On the one hand, we can applaud the government for listening to public opinion and offering better services; but on the other hand, the fact that so many people queued up overnight just for a chance to meet the heads of the local government reflects the huge backlog of appeals and complaints," Zhao said.

And most people doubt problems will be solved quickly or effectively by the new approach. About 72.7 percent thought lower level departments would continue to drag their feet and ignore petitions. And 22.3 percent dismissed the whole exercise as mere window dressing.

According to the Yangcheng Evening News, Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee Secretary Zhang Guangning said, "The top leaders of Guangzhou, including myself, talked with petitioners face to face. We wanted to hear from them at first hand so we can solve people's problems quickly. It's a difficult process but it's necessary."