With a memorial service in one area for victims of a primary school collapse and presentation of new schoolbags for children in refugee camps in another, Children's Day in Dujiangyan was unlike any other in the city's history. Usually a celebration, the day turned to mourning for parents of the roughly 300 students - nearly half the total - who died when Xinjian Elementary School fell. Hundreds of wailing relatives and classmates burned paper money and knelt at the site as funeral music played. Chen Yong and his wife went to where a wall collapsed on their daughter, Chen Yating , while she was in gym class. 'This is a tofu project,' he said, using a phrase for shoddy construction. 'We want to sue the government.' Parents held up photos of their children and signs with the different grades and classes so people could gather together. Medical workers aided some who collapsed during the two-hour ceremony, organised by parents and volunteers. Authorities warned the organisers to keep the event low key, and warned them about speaking to journalists. Police blocked off the street as the crowd disrupted traffic, but allowed the memorial to take place. Mourners wore white T-shirts that read: 'Severely punish the tofu construction of the corrupt.' Some removed them before leaving, apparently to avoid antagonising the government. Parents claim the government had allocated funds for a new school but the administration never built it. Only the classroom buildings in the centre fell, while surrounding structures remained intact. 'There is still corruption at all levels,' said the grandfather of a dead student. He Liping , a graduate of the school, lost her brother, 12. Now a junior high school student, she said the school never held earthquake drills. 'They didn't teach us what to do,' she said, adding the school had one quake while she attended. At the 'Happy Home' camp, the focus was on the living. 'We will pull through this special Children's Day together,' read a banner at the largest camp for displaced people. School bags and stuffed toys were given to children, some still traumatised. A local television station staged a show for camp residents. Nancy Shi, a teacher at the camp's school, said the children were handling the stress well but there were a few psychological problems. The school, in temporary buildings, is trying to bring structure back to children's lives with a set schedule, she said. Nearby, volunteers are offering psychological counselling. Fu Yue , six, has a wound on her forehead caused by falling debris, but she appeared to be normal as she played with friends. 'I like going to school,' she said, although yesterday she had enjoyed the holiday.
