At 2:28 today, the nation stood for three minutes of silence. Sirens blared, cars pulled to the side of the road and sounded their horns and nearly every person in Beijing stood silently, head lowered in thought or prayer.

From Monday through Wednesday, the national vigil for those lost in the Sichuan earthquake continues. Almost all bars and cinemas will be closed until Thursday. Some plan to remain closed until the weekend. In addition, many entertainment websites will shut down, and many television programs will be off the air until next week.

In keeping with the vigil, many venues have canceled or postponed events listed on our website. If you are planning to attend an event this week, we recommend first checking our site's event listings for comments or contacting the venues for details. We will continue to keep you informed.