BEIJING, March 28 (UPI) -- Tens of thousands of residents in cities throughout China took part in "Earth Hour" efforts Saturday focused on energy conservation, an official says.
Zhuang Shiguan, a spokeswoman at the World Wide Fund for Nature's China office, said Chinese residents shut off unnecessary appliances and lights in their homes Saturday, China's state-run news agency, Xinhua, reported.
The international environmental group said its "Earth Hour" has been recognized in nearly 4,000 cities and towns in 88 regions and countries worldwide.
The environmental efforts, which were designed to highlight global warming concerns, also took place at Beijing's "Bird's Nest" National Stadium and other locales in the Chinese capital, Xinhua said.
In Hong Kong, more than 1,800 buildings went dark for an hour to honor the WWF efforts.
Xinhua said 50 million people worldwide took part in "Earth Hour" efforts in 2008.
