Civilian rescue teams offer help at home and abroad

The changes Wang described are a microcosm of the development of China's civilian rescue teams during the past 15 years. Having started from scratch, they are now an important supplement to official emergency forces, even though many teams' operations still mainly depend on funding from their members, according to veteran rescuers and experts.

Although teams in some regions have managed to obtain support from local governments, many still need to explore how to continue their work in a sustainable way, they said.

Wang, a native of Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, described the volunteers who headed to the quake-hit area in Wenchuan as "a herd of sheep without a shepherd".

Thanks to an introduction by one of his friends, Wang and nine other outdoor enthusiasts in Guiyang were offered seats on a cargo flight that was heading to Chengdu, Sichuan's capital, carrying emergency materials in the early hours of May 14, 2008.

In Chengdu, the team contacted volunteers from across the country via Tianya, an online discussion forum, and quickly managed to reach the affected area with the help of the local Red Cross.