China has started three days of national mourning for more than 30,000 victims of an earthquake that struck a week ago.

From the heart of Beijing to the devastated southwest, China came to a standstill to mourn the victims on Monday, as the number of dead, missing or buried soared past 71,000.

Peter Cave reports that at 2.28 pm, exactly a week after the magnitude eight earthquake struck killing an estimated 50,000 people the nation ground to a halt as sirens wailed across the country.

Trading was suspended at the country's stock exchanges as almost one fifth of the world's population observed three minutes silence.

The government has pulled entertainment programmes off television for three days and cinemas and other places of public entertainment have been ordered to close until Wednesday.

The Olympic torch relay across China has been suspended.

Produced by Radio Australia and Australia Network