The average cash income of China's rural residents reached 1,345 yuan (162.6 US dollars) in the first half of 2004, up 16.1 percent, or 10.9 percent accounting for inflation, over the same period of last year. The growth rate was 8.4 percentage points higher than last year, the fastest growth since 1997, said Zheng Jingping, spokesman of National Bureau of Statistics, at a press conference Friday. From January to June, the disposable income of urban residents reached 4,815 yuan, up 11.9 percent, or 8.7 percent accounting for inflation, over the same period of last year, Zheng said. The urban growth rate was up 0.3 percentage point.