Li Yi is an 11-year-old elementary school student and is unlikely that she would have read or understood the works of Ba Jin, one of the country's most acclaimed novelists of the past century.

But that did not stop her from attending the funeral in Shanghai yesterday of the literary giant who passed away in the city last week at the age of 101.

She does have a close link with Ba, though. Their hometown is Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province; and the writer's home was next to her school.

Li was one of thousands who paid their last respects to Ba in Shanghai, Beijing and other cities around the country yesterday. "We were told many stories about Ba. My classmates and I kept writing to him. This time, I come here to say good-bye to our grandfather Ba Jin," said Li.

The ceremony was held at Shanghai Longhua Funeral Home; and according to Ba's last wish, his ashes will be cast into the East China Sea along with those of his wife, Xiao Shan.

The funeral started at 2 pm, but there were big crowds at the gate much earlier.

Many had never met Ba, they had only read his works and did not want to miss the chance to say goodbye.

Zong Fuxian, a renowned writer who was a close friend of Ba, said that he was sad at the loss. "He was a very nice man - such a nice man can rarely be found."

Zong said that Ba's legacy includes not only his literary works, but also his character. "His honesty, especially, has been a great source of encouragement to many people," he said.

Yao Yien, a 78-year-old member of the Shanghai Writers' Association and the Shanghai Translators' Association said that he would never forget the friendship with Ba, who he said helped many people.

"He was a very considerate person. His death marks the end of an era for me, the last master of his time has gone," he said.

At 4:30 pm, a hearse carrying the coffin left the funeral home and it appeared that there was no dry eye among the mourners.

In Beijing, more than 5,000 admirers and members of the literary circle visited the mourning hall at the China Modern Literature Museum which Ba helped found in 1985 over the weekend, according to Shu Yi, curator of the museum.