A mom and her son stroll by a wall with slogans promoting poverty alleviation in Linghui village, in Yuanqu county in Shanxi province. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

The number of registered poor people in North China's Shanxi province had decreased from 3.29 million in 2014 to just 21,600 by the end of 2019, with the poverty incidence dropping to less than 0.1 percent from 13.6 percent previously. 

In recent years, the province has lifted poor households out of poverty and increased incomes by boosting industrial development and employment, relocating families and paying people involved in afforestation programs.

Around 362,000 poverty-stricken people have been relocated to resettlement sites where local governments have introduced companies and established workshops targeting poor laborers. As of April 29, the province has built 879 workshops employing 18,500 impoverished laborers.

Shanxi has also encouraged poor people to create wealth through self-reliance. Officials said 7,126 villages have opened weekend classrooms and evening schools to train locals and set up 536 foundations for senior residents. 

The province has also provided assistance for 12,853 rural startups in poor villages, to guide more households towards prosperity. 

To minimize the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic on poverty alleviation and help the remaining 21,600 poor people out of poverty, Shanxi has implemented a series of policies focusing on the return to work and production by companies and creating more jobs.