Comparing 2 types of poverty: pre-industrial rural China vs. post-industrial U.S. cities?

I am writing a paper examining poverty as a function of economic evolution. I am interested in the economic similarities and differences between poor people in rural China and America’s urban poor. Both face great hardships and barriers to advancement. What are some interesting aspects of this story to focus on?

I was inspired to write my paper by a Reuters News investigative series on poverty in places like Youngstown, Ohio.

http://blogs.reuters.com/route-to-recovery/tag/youngstown/

People in poverty in rural China can live off of subsistence farming and fishing. People in the urban areas of the US who are poor must rely on charity, a small amount of government help and often, to crime.