Tasting hamburgers, French fries, and fried chicken, just like in the foreign song "Right Here Waiting," is really something special for the people in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

The US fast-food restaurant Hawaii Express Inc., the first of its kind, came to the region two months ago and has become very popular among the locals.

In the past two months, other fast-food restaurants like Happy Tom, and Mkmu, have also taken their places on the streets. No alcoholic drinks and no smoking in these restaurants may bring some discomfort, but the "fast" food and clean and cozy atmosphere make up for it.

"Fast food is more than just a different taste, for us, it is a taste of a new life style," said Xu Long as he enjoyed his Hawaii hamburgers. The region is the last in northwest China to introduce foreign fast food.

Hamburgers and fried chicken, brought by the opening to the outside world, have resulted in a "revolution" to the local people, starting from what they eat, and extending its influence to how they live and what they think.

"It is nothing at all that a meal with friends will last for several hours," said Xu, adding that sometimes it may even occupy working hours, as the Chinese have traditionally held a strong belief that people can become more intimate, and any dispute or conflict can be solved at the dining table.

But what a modern society really needs is also a rapid rhythm of life, not just a leisurely and easy pace.

" It is a positive phenomenon that so many fast food restaurants have sprung up," said one local official, "a change of mind in the long run will enable us to grasp the opportunities for developing western China."

China is now giving more importance to the economic development of its western region, which have been slow to economic growth. In the past few years, 8.31 million US dollars of foreign funds have been used to create 40 entertainment centers and restaurants in the western region, bringing a modern touch to the local people.