Fan Xiaojian has a head for numbers and he counts on them to tell a story that adds up to success and continuing challenges.

The top official in charge of poverty reduction in China has figures on hand to depict the other side of the world's second-largest economy.

"I've always found numbers intriguing," said Fan, an economics graduate who has led the State Council's anti-poverty drive since 2007. "Numbers do not meander; they tell stories directly."