Cooperatives and incubators lift living standards

Relocation

In some extreme cases, relocation has been the optimal choice to eradicate poverty; for example, when a person has no or little livestock or no access to industrial poverty alleviation policies due to their remote location.

"I feel the relocation policy is like a beam of sunlight streaming into my room and warming my heart," said Yang Zongtai, a 43-year-old resident of a relocation settlement in Xinghai county, Hainan Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Qinghai.

Before, Yang and his family lived in a mud hut he built himself in a remote valley. At night, they relied on handmade kerosene lamps for light and heat. Candles were a luxury.

"My family only has five or six yaks. My wife and I didn't have any skills. There was no tap water, no electricity. We had to fetch water from more than a kilometer away and we had no transportation or asphalt roads," he said. "Our family's income was as low as 10,000 yuan a year."

At an average altitude of 4,300 meters, some Xinghai residents face a harsh environment and poor infrastructure, which can cause poverty or exacerbate existing challenges.