China is now in the three-day mourning period set as a time for both Chinese at home and abroad to mourn for victims of the May 12th Sichuan earthquake. CRI's correspondent Wei Xiangnan is in Lagos Nigeria, Africa, and was present at the ceremony marking the mourning period for the Chinese people in that west African country.

Hello, Xiangnan, how did the Chinese in Lagos observe remembering this terrible tragedy.

I was at the beginning of the three-day mourning period being held at the Chinese Consulate General in Lagos. It started at 7:28am Nigerian local

time, which is the same as 2:28pm Beijing time. We all know that is the time when the earthquake took place a week ago in Sichuan Province. The Chinese national flag was flying at half-mast and staff members at the Consulate General wore white lapel flowers as they stood in silence for three minutes. It was a simple and solemn ceremony.

I think the real meaning behind the ceremony is the message that Chinese people at home and abroad want to convey to the victims that they are with them, and that they support them.

What did the Chinese in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos, do to support the victims?

Well, I have to say I have been deeply moved by the kind actions made by the Chinese people in Lagos. Since they are so far away from their homeland in China, what mainly do is donate money for the victims of the earthquake. What the donators say most is that they want to share the financial burden of the country and that is what they are doing. As of May 19th, the Consulate General in Lagos has received nearly 7 million RMB in donations. I actually interviewed some of the donators, here's what some of them had to say.

"As a overseas Chinese, now such a big disaster has happened to our country, what we can do is donate some money to make the victims in the devastation area be rescued as soon as possible and the reconstruction can be more effectively carried out."

One point I want to stress is that it is not only Chinese but also Nigerians who are making donations for the disaster relief efforts.

The Nigerians love China and Chinese people.