New | No room at the inn but locals show support for families in China's Eastern Star disaster
Pupils and parents of those taking college entrance exams in town where disaster occurred, find their room reservations cancelled
Fences adorned with yellow ribbons floating in the breeze greeted pupils and teachers of Yusha Primary School in Jianli county, China's central Hubei province, when they arrived at school on Friday morning.
"Hope the family members find their loved ones soon!" read one ribbon with words in a child's handwriting.
The ribbons were tied to the fences by young well-wishers as days of rain and overcast skies finally gave way to bright sunshine on Friday.
The impromptu monument in Rongcheng township has made the school a landmark among relatives and reporters now gathered in the county in Hubei province, near where the Eastern Start cruise ship capsized on the Yangtze River on Monday night.
But what's less known is that the building is also where final-year high school pupils will sit their university entrance examinations, which start tomorrow.
Rongcheng has three sites - Yusha Primary, Jianli High School and Jianli No 1 High School - where more than 6,000 pupils across the county will take the two-day exam.
Of course I agreed to the cancellation … I have to support [those] in need
