GUIYANG, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1.2 million people were lifted out of poverty last year in southwest China's Guizhou Province, which is at the forefront of the country's anti-poverty campaign.

The province relocated 763,000 people from their uninhabitable homes, renovated dilapidated houses for 200,000 households, and provided subsidies for 830,000 poor students in 2017, said acting governor Shen Yiqin, while delivering a government work report Friday at the provincial people's congress.

During the past five years, Guizhou lifted 6.7 million people out of poverty and relocated more than 1.7 million people, with both figures leading other Chinese regions.

The proportion of people living below the poverty line dropped from 26.8 percent to less than 8 percent over that period.

In 2018, 760,000 people are scheduled to leave their homes in deep mountains in Guizhou.

Local authorities believe jobs are key to poverty alleviation. The province plans to hire more poor villagers as forest rangers benefiting 52,000 poor families by 2020.

The province's booming e-commerce business increased income for 310,000 poor residents last year, according to the provincial commerce department.

China has set 2020 as the target to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and completely eradicate poverty.