Rescuers pay tribute to those who died in a massive earthquake, in front of a clock which stopped at the time the earthquake hit, in the township of Hanwang in Mianzhu city, north of Chengdu in Sichuan Province May 19, 2008. A nation-wide ceremony was held on 14:28 on Monday, exactly one week after a massive earthquake hit Sichuan. [Agencies]

At the ceremony that began at 2:28 pm, a sad and solemn Hu, in a dark suit with a white flower pinned to the chest, bowed under a national flag which was lowered to half-mast.

Hu was joined by colleagues in the country's top decision-making body, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, including top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao.

Former president Jiang Zemin also stood in silence for the quake victims at a separate place in the city.

Vice-Premier Li Keqiang paid his tribute in Beichuan, Sichuan, one of the worst-hit regions. He was there overseeing rescue and relief work.

Across the country, people honored the quake dead in various ways: Some flew black kites, children stood with lit white candles, and villagers in the northwest burnt incense sticks and fake money in rituals to see off the dead.

Gong Zhen, a student who survived when the earthquake hit Beichuan county, cries as she attends a ceremony with around 500 students before resuming classes at a factory training centre in Mianyang, Sichuan province, May 19, 2008.  [Agencies]

In front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, residents prostrated while saying prayers for the dead.

Rescuers, including those from Japan, Russia, the Republic of Korea and Singapore, took off their helmets and briefly halted their work in quake-hit areas.

The Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges and the futures exchanges in Shanghai, Zhengzhou and Dalian suspended trading for three minutes from 2:28 pm.

Some of the stock traders said people volunteered to buy stocks of Sichuan-based companies to show their support, Xinhua reported.

China Central Television blacked out its screen for the three minutes.

Chinese diplomatic missions abroad also observed the mourning, some holding the silent tribute simultaneously despite the time difference.

Condolence books were opened in the Foreign Ministry and Chinese embassies and consulates around the world; and China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations held a solemn ceremony, which UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon attended.

In a demonstration of the international community's support, scores of foreign envoys and representatives of international organizations in Beijing visited the Foreign Ministry to convey messages of condolences.

(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency, agencies, May 20, 2008)