China Thousands gathered outside the US Consulate General in Chengdu as staff gathered and prepared to leave at Beijing's request.

Three trucks and a passenger car entered the US Consulate General in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, today and left in the presence of numerous police and security forces.

Cleaning workers threw large black garbage bags and a maintenance team removed the US Consulate General's badge from the outer wall.

Chengdu is not considered a hot spot for international political tensions.

The area around the US Consulate General has been enhanced from 24/7 afternoon security with dozens of uniformed and plainclothes police patrolling.

Wang Dayou, one of the people standing outside the US Consulate General, said he and his son took a half-hour train to witness the closure.

"I want him to understand the cause and the outcome. He needs to be educated. We are currently closing the consulate, but what will happen next? Perhaps it will evacuate citizens and a war."

It rained slightly and the crowd was relatively mild.

This person then sang "I love China".

Deng Siyi, a 16-year-old female student, was also present at the consulate.

Just a few hours after Beijing issued the order, the central CCTV broadcast the scene outside the consulate.

Still, some say they worry about deteriorating US-China relations.

"We feel very safe and convenient to live near the consulate. However, it is about to be closed, I am worried that house prices will fall," Cheng said, adding that she was also worried about the relatives living in.

According to Cheng, the last time she saw many people gathered outside the US consulate in Chengdu was in 1999 after the US bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

Another time was in 2012, when former deputy mayor and Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun entered the consulate to seek asylum.