Early childhood education has developed greatly in rural areas in China since the 1980s. Recognising the status of early childhood education as "the foundation of basic education", the authorities in China have set up challenging objectives for rural areas. However, the development of early childhood education in these areas has been facing tremendous difficulties and challenges. This paper provides an overview of such development in the past 25 years. Issues of policies, funding, curriculum and the status of rural teachers will be addressed. Further, a case study of early childhood provision in Northwest China, Gao Village (Gao Cun), will be presented as an example of the development and challenges in a typical remote rural village in China. (Contains 3 tables and 1 note.)