Impoverished. Isolated. Now they have a life

Instead, local authorities have been asked to carry out a thorough assessment of their resources, environmental conditions and culture, and draw up tailored relief plans that stress both speed and efficiency.

The plans vary from village to village in some of the remotest areas with a range of ethnic groups, such as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and several prefectures in Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu provinces.

The campaign is evidence of the central government's ability to mobilize. Businesses, nonprofits, research institutes and banks have all contributed to the efforts through their individual strengths, such as handing out low-interest loans and promoting crops that can survive extreme weather and soil conditions.

The achievements have caught global attention. China's impoverished population, which stood at nearly 100 million in 2012, had been reduced by more than 80 percent by the end of last year, according to the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, the top poverty relief agency. The number continues to fall.

Poverty incidence nationwide fell from 10.2 percent to 1.7 percent during the seven-year period, making China a pioneer in reaching the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, which were set by the UN at the turn of the century.

But the clock is ticking. Speaking at the annual gathering of legislators in Beijing in February, Wu Weihua, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, said poverty relief is among China's most urgent and important tasks, and local authorities should complete their duties in this regard on time.

"We'll adopt tough approaches and mobilize the entire nation," he said.