Premier Wen Jiabao returned yesterday to Beichuan No 1 Middle School - where 1,300 students died in the Sichuan earthquake - for the third time since the May 12 disaster to mark the opening of the new term.
Few tears were shed, but an air of solemnity and sadness shrouded the ceremony as teachers, students and guest speakers spoke of the tragedy that befell the school and Beichuan as a whole.
More than 20 students in wheelchairs were among about 3,000 teenagers returning to school, a grim reminder of how much suffering they had endured.
When the premier arrived at the school's temporary premises at the Changhong training centre in Mianyang , he was greeted with loud applause. Many teachers and students chanted: 'Hello, Premier! Hello, Grandpa Wen!'
Dubbed the 'people's premier', Mr Wen won praise for touring several of the worst-hit areas immediately after the quake and visiting the injured and the bereaved families.
Yesterday's ceremony began with the raising of the national flag.
'It has been 110 days since the earthquake, and Beichuan stands up again. Beichuan's secondary school stands up again,' Mr Wen said, adding that the disaster had brought hardship but also a lesson.
