"Restoration in the affected areas should not merely reconstruct buildings, but give priority to the protection of the ecological environment and ethnic culture to create a sustainable way of development," said Liu.

"Bestowing local governments more rights to handle allocated funds for local needs marks a special change in the post-disaster reconstruction," said Qin. As an aid official, Qin was dispatched to Jiange County in Sichuan in 2008 after the earthquake. Having served as executive deputy county head there for two years, he has seen the change in action.

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.