Changning Earthquake: Social Networks and the New Emergency Management System

The 2019 Changning Earthquake provides a compelling case through which to observe the practical workings of China’s fourth-generation emergency management system. This chapter examines how institutional reform, digital innovation, and societal participation converged to shape a coordinated disaster response. It begins by situating the Changning case within the broader transformation of China’s emergency governance landscape, following the establishment of the Ministry of Emergency Management and its key interface institutions and Sichuan Coordination Center for Social Participation in Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Relief. The analysis then turns to how these entities facilitated real-time, multi-level coordination, enabled by digital platforms and structured through joint situation reports. Attention is also given to the formalized integration of civil society actors, whose roles and responsibilities were increasingly embedded within institutional mechanisms. Finally, the chapter explores how public trust was managed and legitimacy co-produced through digital communication, participatory media, and narrative alignment. These dynamics reveal an emerging model of hybrid governance—one that combines centralized command with collaborative, multi-actor engagement.