A boy helps his classmate put on a mask at Qisehua kindergarten in Zhengzhou, Central China’s Henan province, on July 14. The kindergarten has been offering inclusive education for children with special needs for over two decades. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

A boy makes his way to the kindergarten for an activity titled “Night for the Brave.” Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

Children attend a storytelling session. Since 1996, the kindergarten has enrolled 3,150 children, including 379 children with special needs. Apart from autism, some of these children also have developmental delays, Down syndrome, visual impairment, and hearing impairment. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

A child with autism gazes out of the window during a class session on July 5. Currently, the kindergarten has 350 students, including 50 children with special needs. All students were randomly distributed into 12 classes, with three teachers and one caregiver assigned to each class. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

Yunxi, a child with multiple disabilities, dances with her classmate during her graduation ceremony in July 2021. She joined the kindergarten in September 2016. Photo: Zhang Liqun, special contributor/Caixin

Yunxi hugs her friend before leaving the kindergarten. Photo: Zhang Liqun, special contributor/Caixin

Preschool teacher Liu Bing guides a child with taking a nap on July 14. The kindergarten has opened workshops for teachers in inclusive education and special education. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

A child plays with a plant given by his teacher. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

Teaching staff and volunteers play games with the students. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

Liu embraces her student Meng Meng (not her real name) upon her return. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

Children encourage each other during the “Night for the Brave” activity, where they are taught to be more independent through an overnight activity without their parents. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

Children participate in the “Night for the Brave” activity. Since 2015, Henan has set up more than 200 pilot kindergartens with the goal of helping special needs children integrate into society. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin