Courage, dignity heal scars of Tangshan quake

Tangshan demonstrates the importance of sustained institutional support as survivors confront not only physical disabilities, but also the psychological, family and caregiving challenges that emerge with age, Tang said.

He said the experience has also helped shape China's approach to post-disaster recovery by shifting the focus from rebuilding infrastructure to improving survivors' long-term quality of life.

Having participated in a long-term study tracking the lives of Tangshan's paraplegic survivors and exchanging experience with rehabilitation specialists involved in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan province, Zhao believes Tangshan's greatest contribution extends beyond early rehabilitation.

"The most valuable lesson from Tangshan is not the rehabilitation techniques developed in the years after the quake," she said. "It is understanding the physical, psychological, family and caregiving challenges that emerge decades later as survivors grow old."

She hopes the public will continue to see not only the resilience of Tangshan's survivors, but also the new challenges they face in old age.