When William Moore, a Scottish Presbyterian pastor, established the first special school in China in 1874, the country began her long and circuitous journey toward establishing formal educational services for individuals with special needs. Special education in China developed slowly on the infertile soil of continual wars, political instability, and adverse economic conditions for about three quarters of a century. These services are now developing more rapidly in concert with economic reforms and the Open Door Policy initiated in 1978. Legislative and policy changes initiated by the central government have encouraged increasing numbers of exceptional students to enroll in elementary and secondary schools, with similar outcomes occurring in vocational education and higher education. Although recent achievements in providing educational services to exceptional individuals have been positive, further development of special education in China warrants systematic efforts in improving the quality of learning in regular classrooms, shortening the discrepancy between urban and rural areas, and promoting psychological services for special students. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)