哀悼甘肃舟曲山洪泥石流遇难同胞

为表达全国各族人民对甘肃舟曲特大山洪泥石流遇难同胞的深切哀悼，国务院决定，2010年8月15日举行全国哀悼活动，全国和驻外使领馆下半旗志哀，停止公共娱乐活动。

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese flags across the country and at overseas embassies and consulates are half-mast Sunday to mourn the victims of the devastating mudslide in the northwestern Gansu Province, the State Council announced Saturday.

Public entertainment will be suspended Sunday in a show of mourning, said the announcement by the State Council, China's cabinet.

As of 4 p.m. Friday, the mudslide, which hit Zhouqu County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southern Gansu, on Aug. 8, had killed 1,156 people and 588 were still missing.

Following the State Council's announcement, the Ministry of Culture issued an urgent circular Saturday to say that public recreational activities, such as movies, karaoke and on-line entertainment like games and music, should be suspended Sunday.

Sunday is the seventh day since the mudslide and, according to some Chinese traditions, the seventh day after a death is the height of the mourning period.

Large-scale national displays of mourning are rare in China.

China had a three-day national mourning period after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and a one-day national mourning period after the Yushu quake on April 21 this year, during which national flags were lowered to half-mast and public entertainment suspended.