Compared with the Wenchuan earthquake five years ago, the response to Saturday's Lushan earthquake, which has so far left nearly 200 dead and more than 11,800 injured, has been quicker and more effective.

Official rescuers and medical teams were quickly on the scene - for example, an emergency medical team and its equipment were dispatched to the disaster area by a Shanghai hospital less than two hours after the earthquake hit - and there has been no repeat of the problems, such as the lack of proper tools and equipment, that plagued rescue efforts in the first days after the Wenchuan quake, when rescuers had to dig by hand through chunks of concrete and other rubble to try and reach survivors.

Those nearby who rushed to help also knew better what the survivors needed, and they brought tents, bottled water, instant foodstuffs and other daily necessities to the affected areas, providing shelter and sustenance to those in need until larger-scale official aid can reach them.