The funeral for China's former Premier Li Keqiang has been held in Beijing, attended by President Xi Jinping and other top Communist Party leaders. Many citizens gathered near the venue, but police turned them away.

Li died of a heart attack on October 27 at age 68.

State-run China Central Television reported that the ceremony was held on Thursday morning at a cemetery in Beijing where a generation of past Chinese Communist Party leaders have been laid to rest.

CCTV said President Xi expressed his condolences to the former premier's family, and that flowers were offered under the name of former President Hu Jintao, who is said to have been close to Li.

Flags were flown at half-mast at Tiananmen Square, the Chinese foreign ministry building, among other places in central Beijing, in Li's honor.

Since late last week, people have continued to pay their respects to Li by leaving flowers in his hometown of Hefei in Anhui Province.

In Beijing, a large number of citizens arrived outside the funeral site with flowers to offer on Thursday. Many police officers were present, and some were seen confiscating the white flowers the mourners had brought, or chasing them away.

Li stepped down as premier in March after serving two five-year terms from 2013. He was once seen as a rival to Xi Jinping to ascend to the top position in the Communist Party.

Observers say the party is anxious to ensure that mourning for Li does not generate wider criticism of the current administration led by Xi. This comes at a time when there is growing concern about the uncertain prospects of China's economy.