China Day of Mourning- A Black & White Country.

The Shanxi Evening News,
its headline a classical expression:
"Weathering storms in the same boat" (风雨同舟).

On Sunday August 15, 2010 the country of China held a day of mourning for its people. A devastating mudslide in the northwestern Gansu province a week earlier has claimed the lives of over 1,200 people with many more missing. This natural disaster has shocked the Chinese community and left many with no where to turn.
In honor of the victims, the country honored a day of memorial. All flags flew at half mast and the media became black and white. This day banned the use of entertainment which included closing movie theaters, karaoke bars, online video and music sites, and cancelling television programs.
The efforts were intended to help citizens bond through their grief and overcome the disaster as a stronger country. This was a way for the government to send a message to its people through media. It drew attention to the disaster through videos and information posted on the sites that were shutdown for 24 hours.
The banner of the China Daily Newspaper read “Tears for Victims of Zhouqu, Our sympathy to their families” and the People’s Daily read “Mourn for Zhouqu Mudslide victims.” These headlines we meant to rally support from the people and surge toward a clean up effort and renewed faith in the government

The Lanzhou Morning Post,  with a headline reading
"Zhouqu is unbowed" (舟曲不屈), a declaration inspired
by the homophony of qu 曲 in the county's name
and qu 屈 meaning "surrender."
Many newspapers used this phrase.