Hong Kong civil servants returned to work at the government's headquarters this morning as pro-democracy protests, which saw tens of thousands of demonstrators hit the streets last week, subsided in the face of a deadline to disperse.
But although numbers dwindled dramatically at the main protest sites, many said they would return later in the day to resume their campaign for free elections.
The protesters are demanding the right to nominate who can run for election as the former British colony's next leader in 2017.
China's Communist authorities insist that only pre-approved candidates will be able to run, which activists dismiss as "fake democracy".
State broadcaster China Central Television devoted more than ten minutes to Hong Kong in a morning broadcast.
For much of last week it had imposed a near-blackout on coverage of the protests.
It showed government employees going back to work, as well as interviews with several residents opposed to the protests and a local tour agency operator decrying the impact the demonstrations have had on his business.
But images of the protests themselves, as well as international broadcasts of the demonstrations, continued to be blacked out by China's censors.
The government was forced to shut its headquarters on Friday, leaving 3,000 civil servants at home, because of the massed ranks of protesters blocking the access roads.
The city's chief executive Leung Chun-ying had insisted the offices must reopen today, warning he would "take all necessary actions to restore social order".
There were ugly scenes a week ago when police used tear gas on the crowds, but the action only galvanised more protesters to join.
The official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party has slammed the demonstrations as "driving democracy backwards". State media continued to emphasise disruption caused by the protests.
The People's Daily renewed its criticism in three separate articles.
"It is also a basic principle of democracy that a small minority not be permitted to violate public space and the public interest through illegal means," a commentator for the paper wrote.
"From this perspective, the recent 'Occupy Central' movement in Hong Kong is completely counter to democratic principles, and is driving democracy backwards," it added.
The articles, carried on the paper's fourth page, were less prominent than the paper's previous denunciations of the demonstrations, as protester numbers dwindled on the streets.
China has repeatedly branded the demonstrations illegal, but Hong Kong's government offered the talks last week in an attempt to end an impasse.
Meanwhile, the World Bank's chief economist has said the protests in Hong Kong could hurt the city's economy, as well as China's, but the impact will depend on how long the "uncertainty" lasts.
Sudhir Shetty said the bank was closely monitoring the events in Hong Kong.
"Obviously we, like every other set of economic analysts, are looking very closely at the situation and following it and looking at its impact," he told reporters in Singapore.
"The impacts will be both on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region itself, their economy, but also in terms of the broader impact on the Chinese economy.
"As of now, what we anticipate is obviously a greater impact on Hong Kong SAR -- so slower growth in 2014 than was being anticipated earlier."
"At this stage, our best estimates ... are that there isn't as yet significant spillover to the broader Chinese economy, but it is still something that we and others will continue to watch."
The bank does not have a forecast for Hong Kong's economic growth because it covers only developing economies.
But it forecast Chinese growth to ease to 7.4% this year and 7.2% in 2015 from 7.7% last year.
