To China's efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Our Dai Kaiyi travels to one county in Hunan Province, bringing us a closer look at the innovative measures adopted to improve standards of living.

Wang Bingquan earns 40 to 50 thousand yuan annually from a local white tea factory job. But before he joined the company, his payroll was 5 times less.

WANG BINGQUAN Tea factory worker "The white tea industry made it possible for local residents to earn more money and live a better life. We don't have to travel to work in faraway places, and we can earn a reasonable paycheck right at our doorstep."

Wang and his family, together with 30% of other residents in China's southern Sangzhi County, have gotten out of poverty by working for the local white tea industry. One major recipe for the once poverty-stricken county to shake off hardship was geographical indication – an intellectual property trademark to boost the quality and sales of local specialties.

ZHAO YUNHAI Sangzhi County chief "The county has carved out a new path for targeted poverty reduction using the power of intellectual property to help local products gain brand recognition."

With the help of China's National Intellectual Property Administration, the area of the county's "Sangzhi White Tea" plantation has grown to 5,267 hectares, with 46 large and small tea processing workshops, which had a combined output value of 228 million yuan in 2019.

DAI KAIYI Sangzhi County, Hunan Province "Local residents count on their unique product – with its geographical origin adding extra value – to help lift themselves out of poverty, and officials here believe that the approach could bring benefits on a much wider scale in the future. "