There was no shortage of coverage of the Wenchuan earthquake anniversary in China recently. The disaster – commonly known in China as 5/12 – killed 68,000 people on May 12 2008.

A year on, TV reports replayed images of soldiers streaming into the quake zone in Wenchuan county, Sichuan. But there was decidedly less coverage of what has been achieved in rebuilding the area and scant mention of those bereaved parents unhappy with the government after their children’s shoddily built schools collapsed, killing so many.

There has until recently been much focus on the emergence of a charity culture in China, but some are now asking if the outpouring of donations around 5/12 will continue into other spheres and issues. The answer is unclear. Recent research from Jia Xijin and Zhao Yusi at the NGO Research Centre at Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University indicates that while there was heavy corporate and personal giving in the immediate aftermath of 5/12 it has rapidly dropped off and is not extending to other causes.

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