There was a time when barefoot, unschooled children were everywhere in the countryside of southern Xinjiang. But now, this is no longer the case.
Walking in Kumu Village Kindergarten in Buzak township in Hotan prefecture in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, it's impossible to ignore the earth-shaking changes that have taken place in rural education in Xinjiang.
Steady progress has been made. In 1949, only 19.8 percent of school-age children were receiving education at school, and the illiteracy rate was over 90 percent.
But by 2020, Xinjiang had kindergartens in all villages, and the gross enrollment rate at preschool institutions was over 98 percent.
Watch this video to see what a village kindergarten in Xinjiang looks like now.
