A day in the life of a Chinese kindergarten – in pictures

Children at school in Ruzhou. The majority of the 24 children aged between two and five who attend the village's kindergarten spend most of their childhood living with their grandparents because their parents seek better working opportunities in big cities such as Beijing and Hangzhou Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

A child studies language. Henan province is widely regarded as the 'cradle of Chinese civilization', along with Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

Children warm their hands over a fire. Temperatures in the province have dropped to -4 this week Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

Playground facilities are sometimes makeshift and sparse Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

Transport Ruzhou-style Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

Song captures a pensive moment with this child Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

Most of Henan province speak the Mandarin group of dialects also spoken in northern and southwestern China Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

Henan is the largest among inland provinces, but per capita GDP is low compared to other eastern and central provinces Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

The children make do with well-worn equipment Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

Henan province has one of the most unbalanced gender ratios in the country. Based on a 2009 British Medical Journal study, the ratio is over 140 boys for every 100 girls aged 1-4 Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

Children make their way home after class. Henan is trying to build its economy around the city of Zhengzhou, and it's hoped the province will become a manufacturing hub in the future Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters