Day of Mourning

The sign, roughly, says Deeply Felt Grief (lit., deep stabs of grief) for our Compatriot Victims of the Great Wenchuan Earthquake.

Flags flew at half mast today and at 2:28 p.m. people poured on to the street again just as we had exactly one week before on a day that seems like forever ago. This time we came out to mourn the victims of the earthquake. Many businesses had their staff standing out in front of the buildings and some had the bright round funeral wreaths. Most public banners here have red backgrounds but today they were in black and white (the colour of mourning).

I tried to make my way down to Tianfu Square in the centre of the city for the moment of silence but was still one bus stop away from my destination when the time came. Traffic halted, everyone stood, and most motorists leaned on their horns. Here is what the moment was like for me:



I did make my way to the square eventually which was still crowded with people. The mood was not sombre but intense and full of national pride, with people chanting things like 加油 中国. (Go China!) and some other slogans that I could not make out. Many people were carrying white paper flowers and some had real bouquets.



Quite a few were wearing these 'I heart China' t-shirts: