Zheng Xiao, a 53-year-old insurance agent with China Life, has been overworking for two weeks, as the number of consultation calls about insurance products jumped by nearly 40 percent since the May 12 earthquake.

"I've had to charge my mobile phone every day and bring a spare battery to work with me, because I've been getting so many calls since the quake," she said. "Most of the enquiries are about accident insurance, and 90 percent of the callers decide to buy policies after the call."

Zheng said the past two weeks have been the busiest in her 15-year insurance career.