"Going dark" activities light up environmental awareness among Chinese

Source: Xinhua | 03-29-2009 08:35

By Xinhua writer Yuan Ye

BEIJING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- About 20 Chinese cities joined a worldwide relay on Saturday night to switch off lights of major buildings for one hour to highlight concerns about climate change while calling for actions.

A combination picture shows the downtown Beijng before and after the lights were turned off for Earth Hour March 28, 2009. About 20 Chinese  cities joined a worldwide campaign to persuade the public to switch off unnecessary lights for one hour Saturday night to support energy-saving efforts and show concerns about global warming. (Xinhua/Luo Xiaoguang)

Tens of thousands of Chinese either turned off lights and appliances at home or joined outdoor activities such as candle-lit dinners and star-gazing parties, to show their support.

The iconic "Bird's Nest" National Stadium and the "Water Cube" National Aquatics Center in northern Beijing, usually illuminated by floodlights, went dark completely at 8:30 p.m. local time (1230GMT).

Dozens of glitzy hotels, office buildings, shopping malls and restaurants in the capital also switched some lights off for 60 minutes.

At a hotel next to the "Bird's Nest", more than 100 officials, dignitaries and journalists gathered to witness the symbolic ceremony which unveiled the China leg of Earth Hour, the global campaign organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).