The 2,600 women, including Mu, who were registered as poor and encouraged to join embroidery workshops earned an average of 2,000 yuan each between April and August, providing extra income for their families. The highest earner made 8,000 yuan.

Mu, from the banner, explained how the local conditions have pushed her family into poverty. "In a good year, my husband and I can earn about 20,000 yuan a year by selling our crops. However, Inner Mongolia experienced a severe drought last year so we almost had no income," she said.

"Although reaching the poverty relief target is extremely challenging as a result of the historical, social and environmental factors in the county, there is no excuse for us not achieving the goal along with the rest of the country," said Ahmet Memet, Party chief of Pishan who is also a delegate at the congress, on Thursday.

From 1986 to 2000, the figure was about 6.4 million, while it was 6.7 million from 2001 to 2010. In addition, the poverty head count ratio has fallen from 10.2 percent to less than 4 percent since 2012.

He added that more than 57,740 people were lifted out poverty in Pishan between 2012 and last year.

After undertaking detailed analysis of the causes of poverty by visiting every impoverished household, the county authorities decided to help local people to raise the quality and output of agricultural produce, such as walnuts and dates, and improve water conservation facilities.

The country's fast-growing e-commerce network is playing an important role in the latest round of poverty alleviation measures. Last year, online sales of products from poverty-stricken counties reached 29 trillion yuan, four times higher than five years ago.

Obstacles remain

He added that no matter how much assistance is provided, it won't make a difference if people lack motivation and are not willing to lift themselves out of poverty. "Leaning against the wall and sunbathing while waiting for the good life to be delivered is unacceptable," he said.

Starting in 2014, before the tailor-made plans were drafted, the authorities conducted detailed surveys and registration work. The surveys identified 29.48 million poverty-stricken families, 89.62 million poor people and 128,000 impoverished villages, while pinpointing their distribution, examining the sources of their poverty and determining the measures required to raise living standards.

"We can sell 150 to 200 pairs of slippers a day online. We expect online sales to rise in the future and the annual incomes of these hardworking women could reach between 5,000 and 8,000 yuan next year," said Fu Lin, head of the association. "Every yuan counts in poverty alleviation."

When he outlined the relief measures in 2014, Xi cited the key approaches as industrial development, relocation, environmental protection, education, social welfare and financial and medical support from the government.

Now, 50 university graduates from the banner have established an association to help the women sell their embroidered products via the internet and mobile applications.

China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, and its experience can offer valuable lessons to other developing countries, he added.

Future problems

During the same period, 28 counties have dropped the unglamorous "poverty-stricken" title, and more are expected to follow suit this year. For the first time in history, the number of poverty-stricken counties is falling, according to Liu.

He added that a small number of officials in the worst-affected areas had succumbed to the pressure and falsified some statistics relating to the progress of poverty alleviation programs.