Guide Note

Exactly one week to the minute of the 7.9 Sichuan Earthquake, China began a three-day national mourning period with three minutes of silence at 2:28 p.m. local time.

Citizens across China were silent after cars, trucks, ships and trains sounded their horns along with air raid sirens in a "wail of grief."

The mourning period is to remember and lament the lives lost in the massive earthquake that rocked China on May 12, 2008.

Flags were lowered to half-mast and all entertainment and cultural activities were ordered to cease for three days.

Fast Facts

1. Citizens erupted in chants "Go China," "Go Sichuan," and "Long Live China" after silence period was over
2. Stock markets observed the three-minute silence
3. Thousands gathered in Tiananmen Square to honor victims
4. TV hosts wore dark suits or black armbands
5. Olympic torch relay halted for three days

National mournings in China are usually reserved for emperors and top state leaders with the most recent one being for Deng Xiaoping in 1997.

This could be the first ever national mourning in China for victims of a natural disaster.

On May 19, 2008, the death toll topped 34,000 from the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake . 245,109 were injured, tens of thousands are still unaccounted for and an estimated five million are homeless.

While there are remarkable stories of survival, the vast majority of attempts to rescue victims have ended with the recovery of lifeless bodies.