Across China, a combination of industry-driven support and eco-friendly development has helped millions of rural residents escape poverty, with 832 once-impoverished counties building robust local economies rooted in their unique resources, backed by targeted policies and financial support.

The past five years, regarded as a transition period to consolidate the achievements of the eight-year poverty alleviation campaign and align them with the rural revitalization, have delivered remarkable results. Authorities said the period has been successfully completed. Farmers in former poverty-stricken counties have seen their per capita disposable income grow faster than the national average, while employment among the poverty-alleviated population has remained stable at over 30 million people for five consecutive years.

In Anji County in east China's Zhejiang Province, a single leaf has become a lifeline. The county's white tea industry, once a small-scale local crop, has evolved into a pillar of prosperity, spurring a model of relying on local resources for survival and growth. Since 2018, Anji has donated tens of millions of white tea seedlings to counties in three western provinces, including Guizhou's Pu'an, providing full support from planting guidance to marketing.

Pu'an, in southwest China's Guizhou, has turned those seedlings into hope. Its 183,000 mu (around 12,200 hectares) of tea gardens now support more than 70,000 people, with skilled tea pickers earning 4,000 to 5,000 yuan (about $585 to $730) per month during harvest season. By 2026, the county's tea industry is expected to reach a comprehensive output value of over 2 billion yuan, lifting per-household income by more than 19,000 yuan annually.

Similar stories play out in other regions. In Baise, southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the mango industry thrives in the region's subtropical climate, covering 12 counties and benefiting about 400,000 farmers, including 200,000 once-impoverished people. With over 1.37 million mu of mango plantations, the industry generates a comprehensive output value of more than 20 billion yuan annually, bringing in over 6 billion yuan in additional income for local residents each year.

In Sichuan's Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, where high altitudes limit traditional crops, tartary buckwheat has become a cornerstone of poverty alleviation. 

The region, known as China's tartary buckwheat capital, has expanded its planting area and developed dozens of processed products, from buckwheat tea to tobaccos. In 2025, the prefecture achieved 503,600 mu of integrated grain-tobacco cultivation, grain-oil-bean output of 489 million (244,500 tonnes), and a 489 million yuan increase in tobacco farmers' income.

In northern Shaanxi's Yan'an, a region once plagued by soil erosion, the government combined grain-for-green programs with characteristic industries like small grains. Villages such as Xinzhuangke have built large-scale small grain planting bases, using mechanized farming to boost yields and relying on e-commerce to sell products nationwide, turning barren land into fertile ground for prosperity.

Behind these local successes lies national policy support. Over the past five years, all 832 once-impoverished counties have developed two to three leading industries, with a total output value exceeding 1.7 trillion yuan, officials said. Central government bridging funds allocated to industrial development have accounted for more than 60% of the total, with plans guiding each county to upgrade its industries and extend industrial chains.

From Anji's tea to Baise's mangoes, from Daliang's buckwheat to Yan'an's small grains, China's approach to rural prosperity focuses on leveraging local strengths, protecting the environment and ensuring long-term stability. 

For millions of farmers, these efforts have translated into steady incomes, better living conditions and a tangible path toward a better life.