Even though the 2008 Sichuan earthquake left Lushan county largely unscathed, with the epicenter 300 km away, residents say the experience they gained from that disaster proved invaluable on Saturday.

The magnitude-7 quake that struck Lushan on Saturday morning and killed nearly 200 people was far less destructive than the quake that struck Wenchuan five years ago, killing more than 69,000.

"The earthquake (in 2008) was so quick and left you no time even to think," said Huang Min, a 33-year-old resident from Lushan's Lu-yang town. "This time, we knew that the head needs the most protection and that you should always keep yourself away from walls."