2008 Sichuan earthquake
The State Council declared 3 days of national mourning (sadness) for the quake victims starting on May 19, 2008. The Chinese National Flag was raised to half-mast. It is the first time China had national mourning days for something other than the death of a state leader. Many people say it the biggest display of mourning since the death of Mao At 14:28 CST on May 19, 2008, one week after the earthquake, the Chinese public held a moment of silence. People stood silent for 3 minutes. Air defense, police and fire sirens, and the horns of vehicles, vessels and trains sounded. Cars on Beijing's roads stopped. After the silence, in Tiananmen Square, crowds began calling out "Long Live China".