It was a national display of public grief unmatched since the death of Mao Zedong in 1976.
Then, the government declared a week of mourning. At 3pm on September 18, the nation stood to attention for three minutes while sirens sounded to mark his death.
Yesterday, pedestrians stopped, drivers stopped their vehicles, trains were halted and workers bowed their heads in front of factories and office buildings as air-raid sirens wailed and vehicle horns sounded.
Some people flew black kites, lit candles or burned incense and 'ghost money' to honour the dead, state media said.
Major newspapers and websites switched to black and white, while television anchors wore the colours of mourning. Some popular video-sharing websites were only accepting content related to the earthquake. Trading on the stock and futures exchanges ceased for three minutes. Some traders said investors had offered to buy stock of Sichuan-based listed companies to show their support.
'This is the first time in China's history of diplomacy we have such large-scale mourning activities. Our friends in every country are coming to our embassies to pay their respects,' Fan Jian, an official with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told CCTV.