I've traveleed four times across different parts of China on a bike Monroe, I've spent extensive periods in Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Hunan, Sichuan and Guangxi, all impverisehd regions. I know I don't live their lives and can't speak with experience about them, but I've met many of them and can assure you they are all improving exponentially. Not quite there yet, I agree but definitely getting better