Financial support also comes from different levels of government, social donations, assistance from Hong Kong and Macao, and bank loans. By the beginning of this year, the total investment in completed projects surpassed 700 billion yuan ($107 billion).

In addition to financial aid, working groups throughout the country, including design and planning experts, arrived at those areas, ready to help within one week after the paired assistance program was announced. This expertise brought advanced concepts of development and management to the affected areas.

"Such a large-scale reconstruction project would never have been completed without the 30 years of experience collected after the initiation of reform and opening and the all-out help from the entire nation," said Qin.