On May 19th, hundreds of students in SCAU held a pray for earthquake victims, as part of a three-day national mourning period that began on the same day. In the afternoon, all the staff and students kept a three-minute silent tribute from 2:28 p.m., which was also performed across the country.

The students lit thousands of candles in the shape of a heart and a number “May 12th”, in hope of releasing the souls of the people who died from suffering. “More than 30,000 people died in the earthquake in Sichuan, and they are relatives of us Chinese. In this way we hope to alleviate their sufferings,” said one freshman. “We are here to pray for the quake-stricken people,” said a boy, “We hope to send our most sincere wishes to them and may they overcome their difficulties soon,” he added.

The devastating 8.0-magnitude tremor hit Wenchuan County, Sichuan, claiming 33,570 lives in the province alone as of 4 p.m. Monday. Nationwide, the confirmed death toll climbed to 34,073 as of noon on Monday, but the final figure was estimated to exceed 50,000. Till now, faculty and students in SCAU have donated more than 1.38 million RMB Yuan to people affected in the quake.

Source of News: Office of International Relations       Translator: Xiao Yuhan