1. In the initial years after economic reforms were introduced in 1978，China enjoyed remarkable growth of output and income per capita，accompanied by an equally remarkable reduction in poverty measured in income terms. In the decade from the mid-1980s，however，this pattern changed. China's economic growth continued to be very rapid，but progress in poverty reduction slowed substantially. Furthermore，while the general trend has been towards a reduction in rural poverty，this has not been uniform over time or regionally，and it does not hold true for urban poverty.