1978: The rural poverty rate is more than 97.5 percent.

1986: The central government establishes a cross-department office responsible for poverty relief and development. The office is currently responsible for poverty alleviation campaign.

2000: The government launches a landmark program to aid development in vast, poverty-stricken western regions.

2011: The government raises the national poverty line to annual income level of 2,300 yuan, a 92 percent increase compared with 2009.

2012: About 98 million Chinese people live below the poverty line.

2013: A total of 128,000 villages are impoverished; targeted poverty relief effort proposed.

2015: China attains UN Millennium Development Goals.

2017: Rural poverty rate falls to 3.1 percent; poverty relief listed as one of three "battles" that must be won over next three years, alongside tackling of pollution and financial risks.

2018: The government steps up the fight against corruption in poverty relief efforts; more than 100,000 villages stripped off poverty label, with rate falling below 2 percent; more than 80 million farmers lifted out of poverty.