'Children of the stars' set sail for adventure

When the wind ruffles their hair and the waves splash water on their faces, six children sit on the bow of a sailboat and steer the vessel under the instruction of Li Liyong in Maluan Bay, Zhangzhou, East China's Fujian province.

Li has taken autistic children every week since 2013 to sail, hoping that the activity can help them gain self-confidence and improve their social skills. Sponsored by his sailing school, it is a charity project that aims to raise public awareness about the condition, according to Li, a former sailor. The trips were suspended for a year in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"When I step into their world, I realize that every child with autism is unique. With more understanding, acceptance and support, they can better integrate into society," Li, 39, says, adding that as a form of therapy, sailing can have a soothing effect on children on the spectrum.

A woman who has taken her son for sailing for four years says he has benefitted from the experience, and now is able to communicate better with other children, such as hugging his peers on the boat. "Once he went back home from sailing, he even told me about his excitement and recognition of the others during the outing," the mother says.

Wang Yi, a leading expert on autism, told China Daily previously that sporting activities such as basketball, jogging and swimming have been widely acknowledged by the international medical field as beneficial to children with autism and boosts their self-confidence and communication skills.

Li has taught the ropes to thousands of such children and set up a sailing team for them, named Star Sailing, because he says "the children are known as 'children of the stars', who are just like the stars in the sky, shining alone and tend to be lost in their own unique worlds".

Li has cooperated with 15 public and private special education schools and organizations to show the children the world of sailing.

Since the Star Sailing project became known in Chinese media, many parents of children with autism across the country have contacted Li.

According to a report by the China Association of Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons on April 2, which is World Autism Awareness Day, China had at least 3 million children, under 18, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, while there were about 100,000 autism rehabilitation therapists, far from enough to meet the country's demand.

Autism spectrum refers to a broad range of conditions, characterized by challenges related to social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. Families with children on the spectrum face many difficulties and even social stigma, Li says, adding that such families need to be seen and accepted to make a difference in their lives.

Li spent his childhood in the county of Dongshan in southern Fujian and developed a fascination for the sea at a young age. At the age of 8, he started to learn sailing. From the provincial sailing team, he entered the national team and retired in 2008. After being a sailing coach for five years, he established a sailing company to promote the sport in Xiamen, Fujian, in 2013. That year, he visited a children's welfare center during a charity trip organized by the local government.

"It was my first time interacting with children with autism. They might be different from us in some ways, but they are also like us in many ways," Li says, adding that he then decided he wanted to help them in a practical way.

"I believe the ocean has the power to heal. If the ocean can help people, like me, find peace, why not children with autism?" Li says he asked himself.

When he discussed the idea of introducing the children to sailing with his family and friends at first, they thought it was a "crazy idea "and if anything unexpected happened, it might change, or even ruin his life. But Li didn't give up. He reached out to therapists to know how to interact with children with autism and two schools for special education to coordinate the first outing.

In May 2013, the first 20 such children and their families attended a sailing excursion he organized. After doubling his efforts to keep the young sailors focused on instructions about the basics of sailing, Li says he faced some difficulties when trying to help them walk through a pontoon which was more than 20 meters long.

"It was a few seconds of walking for me, but it took these children more than 20 minutes, because they tended to get overwhelmed by the environment," Li says, adding that there were lots of cries and screams.

"But things began to change when the boat sailed on the water," Li says, adding a boy of 6 even took off his shoes and socks and put his feet into the water.

"The boy smiled at me," he says, adding that the smile reinforced his decision to have the children experience the joy of sailing.

Since 2013, thousands of children with autism have gone sailing as part of his project and most have been absorbed in the activity.

"Through sailing, some children start to try to communicate and cooperate with others. It is a good sign from isolation to integration," Li says, adding he even received handcrafted gifts from some students.

In late 2017, Li set up Star Sailing's team consisting of seven teenagers with autism who are talented sailors. The team debuted at a sailing race organized by Li in October 2018 and raised 20,000 yuan ($2,794) to fund a local autism organization.

Li is organizing another sailing race expected to be held later this year, which will see participation by the Star Sailing team.

"I wanted to create opportunities for the team to be seen by more people, and in this way, to increase public awareness and conversations about autism, and help to break down stigmas," Li adds.