A grand gathering was held to celebrate China's accomplishments in poverty alleviation and honor its model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Feb 25.

A total of 35 individuals and 27 units in East China's Zhejiang province received medals, certificates, and plaques as national role models in the country's poverty alleviation fight.

Over the past eight years, the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living under the country's poverty line have been lifted out of poverty.