Long before the sun comes up each morning, many people in Xiamen are already hard at work.

Dawn breaks over Xiamen, Fujian province. [Photo/Fjsen.com]

At 1,699 square kilometers, the coastal city is relatively small compared to many regional business hubs in China.

But like any other major city, its smooth running requires dedicated people from all walks of life willing to start work in the small hours.

Here, we salute the street cleaners, taxi drivers, doctors, nurses, shopkeepers, and other early birds without whom Xiamen simply could not function, with a set of photos taken on the morning of Aug 20.

[Photo/Fjsen.com]

Time: 4:45 am

Location: Greenbelt along Chenggong Dadao

Figure: Gui Zhisheng (first right)

Gui Zhisheng’s shift runs from 11 pm to 5 am next day. His job is to patrol his assigned section of road with his colleagues and prune the plants growing along the road.