Thousands of people gathered Thursday near a state funeral home in Beijing as China’s former second-ranking leader, Li Keqiang, was put to rest, while a steady stream of mourners showed their respects at his childhood home in central China.

Li, China’s top economic official for a decade, died last Friday of a heart attack at age 68. “The remains of Comrade Li Keqiang ... were cremated at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing on Thursday,” Xinhua News reported.