Jinan University in mourning

The whole university observed 3 minutes silence starting 2:28pm yesterday to mourn the earth quake victims.

Under the half-mast flying flag, flowers shaped a heart with handles lit in the middle. The staff and students of the university, with flowers pinned to the chest, stood for three minutes in silence, their heads bowed in somber mood before the library building. President Hu read out somberly the decision made by the State Council before the ceremony that the three days from 19^th to 21^st, May would be the national mourning days for the victims. He also said that what our Chinese people showed after the devastating earth quake was the great love and compelling obligation to those affected by the calamity. We help those still alive and mourned the victims in the affected area in one way or another; we share their sorrows and grief to make their pain become easier; we also will rebuild the hope and shattered lives with them.

2:28pm, the exact moment of the earth quake occurred last week, air raid sirens, staff and students before the library building shut their umbrellas, stood somberly still in the rain; teachers and students in the classrooms stood up; pedestrians in the campus stood with their heads bowed; cars halted with horns wailed at this moment, people of Jinan University mourned together with Chinese people across the nation.

When the ceremony was over, people took off the white flowers and put them on flower beds.

Earlier at 6:45am yesterday, a ceremony was held to lower the national flag to half-mast.

Since the 5.12 earth quake, students and staff of Jinan University have expressed their condolence and has offered their helped for the relief of the people of the affected area in various ways. As to 5:00pm, 16^th May, the cash donations by 35,000 staff and students totaled to 1.34 million yuan, HK$3,634 etc.