1.4 Billion People Pause for 3 Minutes... China Mourns Jiang Zemin

Stop Financial Transactions and Block Entertainment, Games
Western Beijing Implements Traffic Blockade for 'Silent Mourning'

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyun-jung] China will pause for 3 minutes on the morning of the 6th to mourn former President Jiang Zemin. During this time, all financial transactions will be halted, and access to games will be prohibited.

According to local media including China Central (CC) TV on the 6th, a memorial service for former President Jiang will be held at 10 a.m. at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Immediately after the start of the memorial service, the entire country will stop all activities for 3 minutes and observe a moment of silence. The funeral committee led by President Xi Jinping instructed, “On the day of the memorial service, all citizens must observe a 3-minute moment of silence and sound horns and air raid sirens,” and “The memorial service will be broadcast live, and Communist Party members, officials, and the public throughout China must be organized to obligatorily watch or listen.”

The People's Bank of China and the China Securities Regulatory Commission also issued a statement the day before announcing that all transactions in the stock market, futures, foreign exchange, gold, and other markets will be suspended during the moment of silence to express respect and condolences for former President Jiang. Although the exact time of the 'pause' has not been specifically announced, it is highly likely to be around 10 a.m. (local time), coinciding with the siren signaling the start of the memorial service.

Former President Jiang passed away on the 30th in Shanghai due to leukemia and subsequent multiple organ failure. From that day, all Chinese national websites, media, portals, as well as delivery and payment apps, have simultaneously switched to black-and-white displays to maintain a mourning atmosphere. The day before, President Xi Jinping, former President Hu Jintao, and the entire top leadership of China visited the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, where the body was kept, wearing white flowers on their chests. The body was then transported directly to the Babaoshan Crematorium, located 2.5 km away, and cremated immediately. The People's Daily featured photos on its front page of former President Jiang’s body covered with a red Communist Party flag and President Xi mourning him, continuing to report related news daily.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the day of the memorial service, entertainment and recreational facilities will also cease operations. Universal Beijing Resort announced via the local social networking service Weibo that the resort will be closed for the entire day. The resort will reopen the following day, and users who purchased tickets for that day in advance will be refunded. Game companies such as Tencent have decided to suspend their services, and relevant authorities are expected to block content access entirely. The Chinese Basketball Association also postponed three games scheduled for that day.

In Beijing, the political capital, the atmosphere is even more focused on mourning, with restrictions on public buses, cars, and pedestrian traffic in the western part of Beijing where Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery is located.

Meanwhile, the method of interring former President Jiang’s remains has not yet been disclosed. Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of China, is currently enshrined in the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall in Tiananmen Square. The remains of former Presidents Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi were scattered at sea. Former President Li Xiannian was interred at Babaoshan, while former Chinese Communist Party Chairman Hua Guofeng and former President Yang Shangkun were buried in their hometowns.