Final mile

In recent decades, China's fast-growing economy has helped pull tens of millions of rural residents out of poverty by creating new jobs and bolstering the infrastructure in the countryside.

However, by 2012, almost 100 million rural residents were still grappling with absolute poverty－a decade after the Party embarked on building a better version of the moderately prosperous society.

Moreover, the smog that shrouded urban skies was coming under greater scrutiny, underlining the environmental cost of the previous development model.

Poverty and pollution were among the most pressing issues as the CPC worked to finish the last mile to hit the xiaokang target, said Wu, the professor at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.

The situation prompted the central authorities to redouble efforts to tackle poverty via increased State funding, tailored programs and the deployment of capable people in administrative positions.

In February, Xi announced that China had secured a "complete victory" in its fight against poverty by lifting 98.99 million rural residents out of absolute poverty since late 2012.

The number of Chinese who escaped poverty in the past four decades accounted for more than 70 percent of the world's impoverished people during that period, measured by the poverty threshold set by the World Bank.

Du, the Gansu resident who is also a poverty relief official, said that in recent years local authorities had invested tens of millions of yuan to build a road linking his secluded village with the outside world, even though it is home to just about 40 families.

"The CPC prioritizes people's interests over economic considerations," he said, adding that the dropout rates at local schools were near zero, with more students going to key colleges thanks to a campaign of investment in education to break the cycle of poverty.

His observation was only a small reflection of China's new poverty alleviation paradigm, which has been more targeted and accurate.

Yan Yong is Party chief of a once-impoverished village in Yunnan province, home to a mosaic of ethnic groups who lived a "slash-and-burn" lifestyle until recently.

He said paved roads have cut the journey time to a nearby township from about four hours to just 20 minutes, benefiting the local sugar cane industry, which was introduced as part of the local anti-poverty drive.

In addition, local governments have built sturdy homes so rural residents no longer have to worry about bad weather and are able to focus on farming.

"We have good natural advantages for the development of tourism and we're planning to build a hot spring resort so locals will not need to travel far to find jobs," Yan said.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the central authorities have also reinforced the push for greener development.

Xi has said: "We cannot say that moderate prosperity has been achieved while environmental quality remains poor. Otherwise, this statement would not win the people's approval or stand the test of time."

Environmental conservation has been added to the Party's blueprint for the overall construction of a socialist country, extending the four previous areas of focus: the economy; politics; culture; and civil society.

Huang Minxuan, 30, works for an internet company in Beijing. After the city's air quality improved markedly in recent years, he started jogging outdoors in 2018.

At first, he wore a face mask when he ran because the air quality index fluctuated, but such protective measures are now redundant.

"For us regular people, xiaokang is more about a better environment and a more colorful life," he said.

Li Yingqing contributed to this story.