From leaders on down, millions mourn quake dead
The students of senior 3 at Beichuan Higher Middle School attend a ceremony of resuming classs at a temporary school in quake-hit Mianyang city, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 19, 2008. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Millions of people in China and overseas observed three minutes of silence at 2:28 p.m. on Monday as they mourned the many killed in a deadly earthquake in Sichuan Province a week ago.

President Hu Jintao, top legislator Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao, and other top leaders including Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang also stood in silence in the central government compound of Zhongnanhai in Beijing.

The leaders, dressed in dark suits and wearing white paper flowers on their chests, bowed their heads in solemn silence below a national flag flying at half staff. Former President Jiang Zemin also stood in silence, separately.

The remembrance was part of a highly unusual three-day national period of mourning for those who died in the 8.0-magnitude earthquake.

The quake is known to have killed at least 32,000 people, but officials have said that the final toll could exceed 50,000.

Across the country, sirens and horns wailed; people fell silent. China Central Television darkened its screen. In the headquarters of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, more than 200 employees gathered in front of their office building, facing southwest, towards Sichuan, in a silent tribute.

In Tian'anmen square, thousands of people shouted "Go, Go, China!" "Brave and strong, China!" and "Brave and Strong, Wenchuan!" "Hang on, Sichuan!"

Wenchuan County was the epicenter of quake on May 12.

Financial markets suspended trading for three minutes. Some traders said people had asked about buying stocks of Sichuan-based companies to show support.

PRAYERS FOR SALVATION

Across the country, people honored the quake dead in various ways; some flew black kites and some held chrysanthemums. Children stood holding lit white candles, and villagers in China's remote northwest burnt incense sticks and paper money to see off the dead.

In front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, residents mourned in the rain, and Lamaists prostrated themselves while saying prayers for the deceased.

"I saw the calamity of the earthquake in TV, and I pray for the people who died and hope those living are strong and hold on," said Ama Cering, a ethnic Tibetan woman.

MOMENT OF SILENCE IN BATTERED SICHUAN

In battered Sichuan, green-uniformed soldiers and rescuers in orange suits paused briefly for the mourning, joined by rescue forces from Japan, Russia, the Republic of Korea and Singapore.

"When the siren sounded, I felt a sudden shudder. I feel deeply sorry for those dead brothers," said Pu Taihua, a rescuer in Beichuan, tears mixing with sweat on his face.