China’s Successful Experience in Poverty Reduction中国扶贫成功之路

郑丰田

China’s reform and opening up originated2 in rural areas with adjustment of the relationship between farmers and land. Before 1978， hundreds of millions of Chinese people were struggling to meet their basic daily needs. After 40 years of development， more than 700 million people in rural areas of China were lifted out of3 poverty. This not only laid a solid foundation for China to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects， but also made great contributions to poverty alleviation4 and development for all mankind.

In 1978， farmers from 18 households in Xiaogang Village of Fengyang County， Anhui Province took the leads in signing a secret agreement to divide communal5 farmland into individual plots， which inadvertently6 gave birth to the household responsibility system7 and lit the torch for China’s rural reform.

By breaking up the people’s commune system， removing many of the constraints of the planned economy and implementing8 the household responsibility system， farmers received contracted9 land they could freely decide what to grow， which greatly stimulated their enthusiasm for agricultural production.

Rural reform laid a solid foundation for the country’s development in the next stage. From 1978 to 1985， the profound reform of China’s rural economic system provided a strong impetus10 for unconventional11 economic growth and dramatic reduction of the poverty-stricken12 population. According the standards at that time， 50 percent of the rural population in poverty met their basic needs during this period. And even according to the poverty alleviation standards updated in 2011， more than 100 million rural people were lifted out of poverty during the period.

From the 1980s to the 1990s， township enterprises13 developed rapidly in the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta， which brought tremendous14 influence to the development of China’s rural areas and greatly promoted the progress of national poverty alleviation.

Thanks to rural reform and scientific and technological progress in agriculture， a huge number of rural laborers have been emancipated15 from the land. Many farmers set up township enterprises to become entrepreneurs16， driving more villagers to work in town for considerably increased income. Many credit township enterprises with17 fueling18 a leap forward in the transformation of farmers to workers.

To eliminate19 poverty， China promulgated20 and implemented the Seven-Year Priority Poverty Alleviation Program in 1994， which was designed to lift 80 million people out of absolute poverty through development-oriented poverty relief efforts in a period of seven years from 1994 to 2000.

During the seven years after the program was implemented， the central government invested 124 billion yuan in poverty alleviation， and the rural poverty-stricken population dropped from 80 million to 32 million.

To improve basic production and living conditions and consolidate the achievements of meeting basic needs of people in poverty-stricken areas， from 2001 to 2010， China’s poverty alleviation policy narrowed its target from county level to village level and implemented the strategy of developing the whole village instead of individuals.

In 2011， China launched21 the Outline for Development-Oriented Poverty Alleviation for China’s Rural Areas （2011—2020） and put forward new poverty alleviation goals and strategies. A dozen of contiguous22 poor areas were designated as the main battlefield for poverty alleviation and development， and the poverty alleviation standard was raised by 92 percent. According to the new standard， by the end of 2012， the number of people defined as living under the poverty line had risen to 98.99 million.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012， China has comprehensively23 deepened reform in the field of poverty alleviation， innovated ideas， measures and institutional mechanisms， and established the basic strategy of target poverty relief24， optimizing25 achievements in poverty alleviation in the country to levels never seen before.

From 2013 to 2017， the poverty-stricken population in China’s rural areas was reduced from 98.99 million to 30.46 million， according to the current poverty alleviation standards， with average annual poverty reduction of 13.7 million people. A solid step has been taken to solve overall poverty in rural China.

Living standards and quality have generally improved in rural areas of China， and even production and living conditions in the poorest areas have seen tremendous changes.

Traffic problems have severely restricted rural economic development， but over the past several years， China has continued to invest heavily in infrastructure26. By the end of 2017， 98.45 percent of towns and 96.87 percent of administrative villages in poverty-stricken areas had paved roads. And the proportion of administrative villages in poverty-stricken areas with access to electricity， telephones and television signals has increased to more than 98 percent.

Social undertakings27 such as education and healthcare have also developed rapidly in those areas. The rate of illiteracy28 and semi-illiteracy has continued to decline， the completion rate of compulsory education has risen， and the quality of the labor force has improved significantly.

Furthermore， due to the implementation of the new rural cooperative medical system and other systems， healthcare conditions and service capabilities have continued to increase in rural areas.

According to the poverty alleviation standard of per capita annual net income of 2，300 yuan， the poverty-stricken population in rural China decreased from 770 million in 1978 to about 30 million in 2017， with more than 700 million people lifted out of poverty.

According to the US$1.9 a day standard that the World Bank uses for global poverty monitoring， the global poverty-stricken population decreased by 1.1 billion during the period from 1981 to 2012， a drop of 55.1 percent. In contrast， the poverty-stricken population in China dropped by 790 million during the same period， accounting for 71.82 percent of the global number. China created a miracle in global poverty reduction history and contributed Chinese wisdom and a Chinese approach to global poverty alleviation undertakings.

China’s sound national governance structure has ensured the in-depth promotion of national strategies， effective implementation of national policies and rapid economic and social development， which has been a core factor in China’s successful poverty reduction.

China has set up special poverty alleviation organizations， integrated poverty alleviation and development into its national development strategy， formulated poverty alleviation strategies and plans， carried out poverty alleviation actions targeting specific groups of people， and promoted implementation of policies from top to grassroots29 level.

Implementation efforts from the central government down to local governments have been strong and effective， reflecting sound governance capacity and good operational efficiency of the Chinese government as well as the advantages of the Chinese system.

China considers targeted poverty alleviation an important measure to tackle key problems in poverty reduction work. It involves finding the root causes of poverty before prescribing a suitable remedy and delivering targeted treatment.

The days of general poverty alleviation efforts have given way to30 a compound poverty alleviation governance system. Led by the government and focused on the poverty-stricken population as well as the grassroots rural communities， it has attracted enterprises， non-governmental organizations and volunteer groups to participate in poverty reduction efforts， which effectively promotes targeted poverty alleviation and helps achieve the goal of sound governance of poverty-stricken areas.

Since its reform and opening up began in the late 1970s， China’s economy has maintained high-speed growth for a long time. Alongside letting some people get rich first， the country has also handled the issue of equity and development well by improving the social security system and subsidizing31 the poor with tools to escape poverty.

中国的改革开放始于农村地区农民与土地关系的调整。1978年之前，数亿中国人还在为温饱问题发愁。经过40年的发展，中国有7亿多农村贫困人口脱贫。这不仅为全面建设小康社会打下了坚实的基础，而且为全人类的扶贫和发展做出了巨大贡献。

1978年，安徽省凤阳县小岗村的18户农民率先实行包产到户，无意中诞生了家庭联产承包责任制，并点燃了中国农村改革的火炬。

打破人民公社制度、破除计划经济的诸多束缚、实行家庭联产承包责任制后，农民获得了可以自由耕种的承包土地，使他们以巨大的热情投入到农业生产之中。

农村改革为下一阶段的城国家发展奠定了坚实的基础。从1978年到1985年，中国农村经济体制的深刻变革为非常规的经济增长与贫困人口的锐减提供了强大助力。根据当时的标准，50%的农村贫困人口在这一时期基本实现温饱。甚至根据2011年更新的脱贫标准，1亿多的农村人口在这一时期实现脱贫。

从1980年代到1990年代，长三角和珠三角地区的乡镇企业发展迅速，深刻地影响了中国农村地区的发展，极大地推动了国家的脱贫进程。

有赖于农村改革与农业的科技进步，大量农村劳动力从土地中解放出来。许多农民开办乡镇企业，成为企业家，使更多农民为大幅提高收入而进城务工。许多人认为，乡镇企业在农民向工人转变的跃进过程中居功至伟。

1994年，为了消除贫困，中国出台并实施《国家八七扶贫攻坚计划》，在从1994年到2000年的7年里，努力通过开发式扶贫使8000万人口摆脱绝对贫困。

在计划实施的7年间，中央政府投入扶贫资金1240亿元，农村贫困人口从8000万下降到3200万。

从2001年至2010年，为了改善贫困地区基本生产生活条件、巩固贫困地区所取得的温饱成果，中国的扶贫政策将目标从乡级降低到村级，实施整村脱贫，而非个人脱贫。

2011年，中国颁布了《中国农村扶贫开发纲要（2011—2020年）》，出台了新的扶贫目标与举措。一批连片贫困地区被指定为扶贫开发的主要阵地，扶贫标准也提高了92%。根据新的标准，截至2012年年底，被确定为生活在贫困线以下的人口数量已上升至9899万。

自从2012年中国共产党第十八届全国代表大会以来，中国在扶贫领域全面深化改革，革新观念、措施和体制机制，建立了精准扶贫的基本策略，将国家扶贫成果优化到了前所未有的水平。

从2013年到2017年，根据现有扶贫标准，中国农村地区的贫困人口从9899万降至3046万，平均每年减贫1370万人。在全面解决农村贫困问题上已迈出坚实的一步。

中国农村地区的生活水平和质量总体提高，甚至最贫困地区的生产生活条件也发生了巨大改变。

交通问题严重制约农村的经济发展，但在过去几年中，中国不断投入巨资发展基础设施建设。截至2017年年底，贫困地区98.45%的乡镇和96.87%的行政村都铺设了道路。贫困地区行政村电网、电话、电视信号覆盖率已提升至98%以上。

贫困地区的教育、医疗等社会事业也发展迅速。文盲与半文盲比率不断下降，义务教育完成率增加，劳动力质量也大幅提升。

此外，由于新型农村合作医疗制度和其他制度的施行，农村地区的医疗条件和服务能力也不断提升。

根据每年人均纯收入2300元的扶贫标准，中国农村贫困人口从1978年的7.7亿降至2017年的3000万，超过7亿人口脱贫。

根据世界银行一天1.9美元的国际贫困线标准，全球贫困人口从1981年到2012年减少了11亿，降幅55.1%。与之相比，同期中国贫困人口减少了7.9亿，占全球减贫数量的71.82%。中国创造了全球减贫史的奇迹，为全球扶贫事业贡献了中国智慧和中国方案。

中国合理的国家治理结构保证了国家战略的深入推进、国家政策的有效实施以及经济与社会的快速发展，这也是中国成功扶贫的一大核心要素。

中国建立了专门的扶贫机构，将扶贫开发融入国家发展策略，制定了扶贫策略与方案，开展针对特定人群组织的扶贫行动，促进政策由上至下的實施。

从中央政府到地方政府都强力有效地努力落实工作，不仅反映了中国体制的优势，也体现了中国政府良好的治理能力与优良的运作效率。

中国将精准扶贫视为解决扶贫工作关键问题的一项重要措施。这项措施需要找出贫困根源，进而对症下药，药到病除。

过去一般化的扶贫措施已经让位于一种综合的扶贫管理体制。这一体制由政府领导，聚焦基层农村群体和贫困人口，已经吸引了企业、非政府组织和志愿团体参与扶贫工作，而这有效促进了精准扶贫，有助于实现贫困地区的合理治理。

自1970年代后期实行改革开放以来，中国经济长期保持高速增长的态势。在让一部分人先富起来的同时，中国还通过完善社会保障制度、为贫困人口提供脱贫渠道，很好地处理了公平与发展的问题。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖选手）