The State Council has chosen the next three days (May 19-21) as national days of mourning, with all public activities stopped and flags will be raised to half-mast. Additionally, today at 2:28 pm (precisely one week after the quake first struck Sichuan), a 3-minute moment of silence will be observed across the country. We hope all Hao Hao Report readers will also take this opportunity to remember the victims of last week's unspeakable tragedy.

An additional first-hand account of the Sichuan quake from a English-language Chengdu blogger, KMM. "But even though I’m convinced staying in the fifth floor of my apartment is perfectly safe, I’ve moved back outside, sitting in the grass, because damn it when the floor keeps moving under your feet, it doesn’t matter how much you know your safe, you still feel you better get out as fast as possible."