"Music is their language": school gives autistic Chinese youth a voice

"Music is their language": school gives autistic Chinese youth a voice

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Almost three years of pandemic restrictions have been hard for 23-year-old Chinese villager Zu Wenbao, but thanks to Beijing-based Chen's Studio, music has become his saving grace.

Zu is one of the 14 million people in China who have autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Despite laws to ensure the integration of people with autism, many in China know little about the disorder and support remains lacking, experts say.

. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang
Zu plays the keyboard during a practice session with his band Star Kids, at a music studio belonging to 38-year-old teacher Chen Shensi.

Autism has meant Zu was unable to fit in at school or among other young people in his home village of Bei'an in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. All that changed when he started learning music free of charge at Chen's Studio, which started lessons for people with autism just as the pandemic began.

Zu, who is non-verbal, joined the five-studio Beijing school in 2020. He has since learned to play the keyboard, and sings along with the four other members of the "Star Kids" band their teacher, Chen Shensi, set up last year for people with autism.

. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang
Chen talks with Zu during a practice session with members of Zu's band Star Kids, at Chen's music studio.

"Without music, without these lessons, he wouldn't have anything," said Zu's mother, Zhao Guorong, who travels with her son every Sunday for two hours on three different buses from their current home on the outskirts of Beijing so that he can attend class.

"The village youngsters all go to work or school, so  without music and the band, he wouldn't have any peers to socialise with," she added. "Even though the kids taking music classes are younger than him and half his size, they all take care of him like he's their brother."

. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang
Zu and his mother Zhao eat dumplings for lunch at their home on the outskirts of Beijing.

China has passed several laws to ensure inclusion of people with autism, most recently in September to standardize autism screening, diagnosis and intervention for young children.

While support has improved over the past 20 years, millions of children still lack the behavioural therapy and educational support they need, experts say.

. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang
Zu plays the keyboard as he performs with members of his band Star Kids, at a market fair.

People with autism tend to find it difficult to get jobs, and the music school's founder Chen hopes he can change that by giving his students a way to earn a living: the Star Kids band has already performed several concerts at events held at camp sites on the outskirts of Beijing.

Chen says he knew very little about autism before he started teaching a bass player with the disorder in 2020. 

. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang
Flora Tan guides her son Jackie Zheng, 29, as he practices the accordion before a performance onstage with his band Star Kids, at Beijing Eco Valley Smart Farm, a farm and campsite.

When COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions on movement curtailed his regular music lessons, Chen started the free-of-charge lessons for people with autism. "COVID has been hard, and I wanted to do as much as I can to give them joy through music," he said.

Chen admits he was very frustrated at first with his students because he had to repeat himself many times. Disciplining the class was also tough, but eventually, the students started communicating better with him and each other.

. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang
Chen encourages Zu, Wu Jiayu, 18, and Wang Boya, 30, to dance as they wait to perform onstage with their band Star Kids, at Renji Hotel, a campsite on the outskirts of Beijing.

"It's just difficult for them to communicate normally with other people, let along work in a typical job, but they might be able to make a living by being an artist," he said.

"To some degree, I think music might be their language."

(Photography by Tingshu Wang; Reporting by Josh Arslan; Writing by Farah Master; Photo editing by Eve Watling and Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson; Text editing by Miral Fahmy; Layout by Eve Watling)

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Slideshow

Zhao grabs a goose to put it back into its cage at her home on the outskirts of Beijing.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zhao grabs a goose to put it back into its cage at her home on the outskirts of Beijing.

Zu lies on bed as his mother Zhao prepares trousers for him to wear at their home.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu lies on bed as his mother Zhao prepares trousers for him to wear at their home.

Zu helps his mother Zhao by removing corn kernels at their home.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu helps his mother Zhao by removing corn kernels at their home.

Zhao shows a photograph of her with her son Zu, then aged 10, at Tiananmen Square on a National Day holiday, at their home.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zhao shows a photograph of her with her son Zu, then aged 10, at Tiananmen Square on a National Day holiday, at their home.

Zu and his mother Zhao wait for a bus on the way to Chen’s music studio, for a practice session with members of Zu's band Star Kids.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu and his mother Zhao wait for a bus on the way to Chen’s music studio, for a practice session with members of Zu's band Star Kids.

Zu rides on a bus going to a practice session with his band Star Kids.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu rides on a bus going to a practice session with his band Star Kids.

Wu Jiayu plays the bass during a practice session with members of her band Star Kids, at Chen’s studio.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Wu Jiayu plays the bass during a practice session with members of her band Star Kids, at Chen’s studio.

Zu reacts to a loud sound by covering his ears while his mother Zhao plays the keyboard during a practice session of the band formed by the mothers of Star Kids, called Mums of Star Kids, at Chen’s studio.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu reacts to a loud sound by covering his ears while his mother Zhao plays the keyboard during a practice session of the band formed by the mothers of Star Kids, called Mums of Star Kids, at Chen’s studio.

Zu plays keyboard during a practice session with members of the band Star Kids, at Chen’s studio.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu plays keyboard during a practice session with members of the band Star Kids, at Chen’s studio.

Zu sings with the band My World, which is mostly made up of children aged around ten years old, during a practice session, at Chen’s studio.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu sings with the band My World, which is mostly made up of children aged around ten years old, during a practice session, at Chen’s studio.

Zu rests after a practice session with members of his band Star Kids, at Chen’s studio.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu rests after a practice session with members of his band Star Kids, at Chen’s studio.

Zu sits in front of a piano during a break from a practice session with his band Star Kids, at Chen’s studio.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu sits in front of a piano during a break from a practice session with his band Star Kids, at Chen’s studio.

Zu attends a chorus session at Xing Guang Yi Cai ("Radiant Starlight"), a charity which provides art and music lessons for people with autism spectrum disorder in Beijing.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu attends a chorus session at Xing Guang Yi Cai ("Radiant Starlight"), a charity which provides art and music lessons for people with autism spectrum disorder in Beijing.

Zu gestures as if he is holding a microphone during a band practice session, at Xing Guang Yi Cai, Beijing.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu gestures as if he is holding a microphone during a band practice session, at Xing Guang Yi Cai, Beijing.

Zu holds hands with Jackie Zheng as they walk through booths at a market fair before their performance onstage with members of their band Star Kids.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu holds hands with Jackie Zheng as they walk through booths at a market fair before their performance onstage with members of their band Star Kids.

Zu stands as his mother Zhao talks to him at a market fair before his performance onstage with members of his band Star Kids.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu stands as his mother Zhao talks to him at a market fair before his performance onstage with members of his band Star Kids.

Siqi plays with bubbles before a performance onstage with his band Star Kids, at Beijing Eco Valley Smart Farm, a campsite on the outskirts of Beijing.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Siqi plays with bubbles before a performance onstage with his band Star Kids, at Beijing Eco Valley Smart Farm, a campsite on the outskirts of Beijing.

Zu and members of his band Star Kids, perform onstage at Renji Hotel, a campsite on the outskirts of Beijing.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu and members of his band Star Kids, perform onstage at Renji Hotel, a campsite on the outskirts of Beijing.

Zu and Wu sing as they perform onstage with the band My World, at Beijing Eco Valley Smart Farm, a farm and campsite in Beijing.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu and Wu sing as they perform onstage with the band My World, at Beijing Eco Valley Smart Farm, a farm and campsite in Beijing.

Members of the band Star Kids perform onstage at a market fair.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Members of the band Star Kids perform onstage at a market fair.

Zu sings onstage during a performance at Renji Hotel, a campsite on the outskirts of Beijing.
. Beijing, China. Reuters/Tingshu Wang

Zu sings onstage during a performance at Renji Hotel, a campsite on the outskirts of Beijing.