Li's doctoral thesis at Peking University, On the Ternary Structure of China's Economy, won the Sun Yefang Economics Prize, the highest honor in Chinese economic circles. It reflected his thorough understanding of both global trends and China's reality. Through deliberation and practice over more than 20 years, Li has nurtured strategic theories of new urbanization.

He believes that China's urbanization should be conducted using advanced concepts and managerial expertise from abroad. He was deeply impressed by the urban layout of European cities, as well as their living environment and public services, during visits in the 1980s and 1990s.

In 2012, when he was preparing to visit Europe as vice-premier, he proposed holding a high-level China-Europe forum on urbanization. One month later, almost 600 experts, businessmen and officials from China and Europe gathered in Brussels to discuss sustainable city planning and infrastructure building. The forum became a new platform for strategic and practical cooperation between China and Europe.

Li has been pondering how to achieve a unification of scientific development and cultural progress in the process of urbanization. He has repeatedly stressed that urbanization should be a people-first initiative ambition that will eventually enrich rural residents and benefit the entire population. A key issue is to help more than 200 million farmers-turned-migrant-workers gradually adapt to urban life.

During his tour to an economic development zone in Jiujiang city of Jiangxi province in December, Li went to the homes of migrant workers and listened to their views on employment, income, housing, social security and education for their offspring. He later urged local officials to help the workers resolve these problems.

When Li served as governor of Henan province, he tried to seek a coordinated development of industrialization, urbanization and agricultural modernization. Thanks to these efforts, the inland province's economy ranked fifth among Chinese provincial-level regions.

Henan has also emerged as an industrial powerhouse, while its grain output surpassed 55 million metric tons last year. When attending a panel discussion with NPC deputies from Henan, Li called on the province to further pursue industrialization, IT application, urbanization and agricultural modernization.

Li Keqiang has paid close attention to the development of the service industry, employment and low-income subsidized housing. Over the past five years, China has started the construction or renovation of 30 million units of affordable housing. Seventeen million units have been completed, improving housing conditions for millions of people.

Li has called for closing not only the gap between urban and rural areas, but the gap between different districts within cities. More than 12 million dilapidated urban homes were renovated over the last five years. In February, Li called for a second round of slum renovation.

In the coming five years, another 10 million urban households can expect to bid farewell to slums. Nearly 100 million people will benefit from the two rounds of renovation.

People's well-being

Li spent some of his younger years living and working in the countryside, where he held a job as CPC chief of a production brigade. He came to be acquainted with the hardship and bitterness of rural life and developed a strong devotion to the people. Since assuming office in the State Council, he has conducted frequent in-depth field surveys in his quest to find solutions to improving people's livelihood.

Understanding the truth through research has long been Li's work style. His inspection tours were always low-key and he has maintained this approach since entering the central government.

Li is adept at examining small clues to find what is coming and seeking proper ways to resolve systemic problems.

On a snowy day in December, Li arrived in Qingbao village in Longfeng township in Hubei province, which he visited five years ago. Gathering villagers to his side, Li listened to their complaints and recorded them in his notebook.