April 10 is the seventh day since the JI victims of the Tai Lake tragedy departed.
Early in the morning, SJTU Deputy Party Secretary Xu Fei and dozens of faculty and students went to Suzhou to attend the funerals of the three students. Party Secretary Ma Dexiu also met with three JI parent representatives and expressed her sympathy.
In the evening, a memorial service organized by the JI Students’ Union was held in the JI building.
Braving the pouring rain, more than a thousand faculty and students from SJTU and dozens of JI parents arrived in the hall on the ground floor. They waited in line solemnly. At 7:30 p.m., the service began, officiated by the President of the Students’ Union. One by one, the volunteers ushered the attendees to pay their respect.
After saying their prayers and offering the chrysanthemums, the mourners wrote down their condolences on postcards, which were dropped into the wishing bottles.
At 9:30, JI student representative, Yuan, gave an emotional address,” My friends, shed your tears and release your grief tonight. Don’t hold back. Tonight is the night of sadness, but tomorrow we will leave the grief behind and go on with our lives bravely. Remember, our departed friends are watching over us. They must also hope that we, the survivors, will be strong and live happily.”
Finally, the memorial service concluded with a requiem played by a JI student who was recovering from the injury in the accident.
The candle arrangement read “Friends, bon voyage.”
Wishing bottles filled with mourners’ good wishes
