Villages across China have received government funding since 2015 under a program to eradicate absolute poverty. Last year, China declared victory in the fight, lifting nearly 100 million people out of poverty. CGTN's Nicole Ng visits a beneficiary of the government program in Yunnan province to find out how they feel about the changes.

At first, Li Yi Zhen was unsure about letting me see her house. She seemed especially embarrassed to show me her old house.

LI YIZHEN Villager, Weixi County "The rain would always come inside, and we didn't have beds or anything. We were five people living together. We didn't have a kitchen. We didn't have anything."

The wooden house sits in stark contrast to her current home made of concrete and tiles with glass in the windows.  When it rains, she says it doesn't leak anymore. There's even a kitchen. Her grandchildren play in the living room, watching cartoons on a TV they say is about a year old. I asked the eldest what for him, has been the biggest change.

LI CHUN HONG Villager, Weixi County "When we lived in the wooden house, everything was a little dirty. Now, everything isn't as dirty."

With a new roof over their heads, they say life feels more stable. But this hasn't stopped younger generations from feeling the pull of nearby cities.

NICOLE NG Weixi County, Yunnan "Li Yi Zhen says life is still tough. Her adult children work in the town nearby. She alone takes care of their kids, the house, her parents, as well as the animals and crops. But she says it's some relief to have local authorities focus on families like hers."

LI YIZHEN Villager, Weixi County "Everything's different now like upturned soil. Roads even the house have changed. It wasn't like this before."