On the evening of April 20 , a national evening gala was hosted on China Central Television . The event , which drew many celebrities and a large viewership , raised some 2.2 billion yuan ( $ US 322 million ) , which exceeded the amount raised in a similar gala for the Sichuan earthquake . April 21 was declared a national day of mourning , reminiscent of a similar event in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake . At Zhongnanhai , General Secretary Hu Jintao led a minute of silence , alongside the entire Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China . Newspapers printed in black and white , and all major websites also changed their home page to black and white to reflect the grave mood . Qiang Wei , CPC Party chief of Qinghai , led a large ceremony in Xining ; a minute of silence was observed across the entire province , when police sirens and horns sounded
2008 Sichuan earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
2010 Yushu earthquake