Before 2008, there were two standards for poverty-relief projects in China. In 1986, the absolute poverty line was set at income of 206 yuan ($32.70) per annum. The level was raised to 785 yuan in 2007. The same year saw the annual net income standard of 865 yuan, originally set in 2000 for those on low incomes, rising to 1,067 yuan. However, in 2008, 1,067 yuan became the standard for poverty alleviation across the board.

The standard was raised to 1,196 yuan in 2009, rising to 1,274 in 2010 and 2,300 last year. It means that China's poorest residents live on $1.00 a day, below the World Bank poverty standard of $1.25 last year. On Wednesday, the World Bank raised the global poverty line to $2.00 a day.

In Yunnan province, 10.22 million people were below the poverty line in 2000. The number had dropped to 3.25 million by 2010, supported by Shanghai municipality government and 27 different ministries. This year, the number of people living below the poverty line rose to 10.14 million, when measured by the 2,300-yuan standard, according to Wu Sui, deputy director of Yunnan's poverty alleviation office.

"Under the new standard, more people can receive poverty-relief funds," said Wu. "What's more important is that the focus has shifted from basic needs such as food and drinking water to education and career prospects."