Cona is 500 km south of Tibet's capital Lhasa, where clouds covered the sun.

The weather in many Chinese cities along the full solar eclipse path was not favourable for observing the phenomenon, the China Meteorological Administration said.

Zhu Jin, head of the Beijing Astronomical Observatory, said although overcast conditions blocked the view along the lower stream of Yangtze, the shadow of the moon was visible moving behind the clouds.

The full solar blackout could be seen at 9.30 a.m. from an observatory site in Anji, east China's Zhejiang province, a site chosen by Jay Pasachoff, head of the Solar Eclipse Working Group of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), and over 200 astronomers from more than 20 countries.

'The weather is clear enough to observe the complete duration of the solar eclipse here in Anji. The forecast of the time of the eclipse proved to be accurate,' said Zhang Hongqi, chief researcher of the National Astronomical Observatories.

It was raining in Shanghai, when the eclipse occurred at 9.35 a.m. The city put extra police on the streets, and more than 30 police vessels patrolled the coast.