The announcement was issued on May 20, 2008, and it was decided that May 19 to 2 1 day would be the national mourning day. After consulting with the International Olympic Committee, BOCOG decided to suspend the Beijing Olympic torch relay during this period.

Declare a national day of mourning

It is extremely rare to set up a national mourning day for ordinary people in China, which has been widely reported by foreign media. Jin Canrong, deputy dean of the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, said that this is a decision worthy of recognition, whether in domestic or foreign affairs. Shen Dingli, executive vice president of the Institute of International Studies of Fudan University, suggested that May 12 be designated as National Natural Disaster Day.