For most working people, I don't think there's too much difference in China and America. Most people get up at six or seven o'clock in order to get to work by 8:00 or 9:00. School usually begins at 8:00; companies, banks, and government offices open at 9:00.

　　In the morning, it's usually a rush to get ready for work, especially if the family has children. If children take the school bus to school, they leave fairly early, maybe even before 7:00. If the parents drive the children to school, this also takes time, as the children in he family may go to different schools.

　　People usually work eight hours each day. The lunch break is added on to the hours you work, so a shorter lunch break means you can leave work early. For example, if you work from 8:00 to 5:00, you might have a one-hour lunch break at noon or 1:00. If you only take a half hour break, you could probably leave work at 4:30. What's important is that you must work the 8-hour day. Managers are fairly strict with this.

　　At the end of the day, there isn't much time for people to enjoy themselves during the week. My brother often complains that he doesn't have time to enjoy his new house. He drives an hour to and from work every day. By the time he gets home, he's usually tired and goes to bed early.

　　On the weekends, most people spend time doing some yard or house work. The weekend is a time to catch up on the chores you don't have time to do during the week: cleaning the house, washing clothes, mowing grass, shopping, etc. Maybe one night during the weekend, people will take some special time for themselves by visiting friends, going to movie, or having dinner in a restaurant.

　　Americans work hard. It's the work ethic we have. If you don't work hard, people don't respect you. So everyone wants to be busy.