The poverty rate stood at 7.2 percent last year, much lower from the 73.5 percent in 1990, using the country's poverty line of 2,300 yuan (376 U.S. dollars) in annual income by 2010 price standards.
To improve living conditions, infrastructure and public services have been improved in rural areas. More people in poverty-stricken regions have enjoyed better houses, cheap electricity, clean water, improved medical services and education.
China was the first developing country to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target of reducing the population living in poverty by half ahead of the 2015 deadline.
To fight poverty in extremely impoverished regions in the east, provincial governments have adopted specific measures including promoting farm products through the Internet and tourism.
Tourism has lifted a total of 446,000 people out of poverty in Dabieshan area in the past five years. It has also proven effective in Jinggangshan in Jiangxi Province.
The local government in Jinggangshan financed construction of modern brick houses for people living deep in the mountains. Once resettled in these modern houses, the poor households turn their new houses into village resorts for urban visitors.
Yu Qiuming, who moved into his new home several years ago, said tourism has raised his family's income by nearly 10 times. Life in the new house provides conveniences such as education and health care, unthinkable for their former residence.
Thanks to a similar relocation project funded by the central government, more than 600,000 households have been relocated to new houses in more accessible areas in southern Jiangxi.
Despite progress, Zhang from CASS said over-reliance on tourism could present a new problem of endangering the ecology in such regions. Young people are also fleeing impoverished areas, undermining poverty-relief efforts.
He said it should be a priority to foster large agricultural households, family farms and cooperatives to retain and attract young people.
Wang Shuobai, a sociology professor with the Anhui University, believes a fundamental way to alleviate poverty is for people in impoverished areas to be able to create fortunes on their own.
One way to achieve that, Wang said, is to enhance vocational training.
Poverty relief will be a major issue for a key meeting later this month to set the course for China's development over the next five years (2016-2020).
