Under the planned economic system of the past, the Central Government would take care of everything for the restoration – an all-covered model. Funds distributed to planned projects would not allow for use elsewhere. This time, however, the Central Government gave more flexibility to the provincial governments that bear responsibility for the funds. Sichuan was able to spend the funds on selected projects that met various requirements.

Jiange, a northern agricultural county in Sichuan, used to be a famous defensive pass during the time of the Three Kingdoms (220-280). The cultural heritage there has a history of more than 2,000 years. However, it was unable to attract a large number of tourists due to weak infrastructure. The county was severely hit during the earthquake and suffered a huge economic loss. Though Jiange had reconstruction funds of 15 billion yuan ($2.2 billion), it was difficult to meet the financial requirements for its 57 villages and towns.