After spotting a lost three-year-old girl alone by the side of a road, Chinese teenager Huang Yibo carried her on his back to a police station in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, because he was worried that she would be kidnapped.

Yibo, 17, who has intellectual disabilities, has since been hailed as a hero on social media platforms in China, according to the local media.

The April 7 incident was captured by closed-circuit television cameras along the road and in the police station, and its footage later uploaded to Chinese social media platform Weibo.

One user said: “Intellectual disability does not hinder kindness and bravery.” Another said: “You are awesome.”

In response to netizens’ praises, Yibo said: “I saw her on the side of the road and thought if I didn’t help her, after a few minutes or hours, she might be kidnapped by some bad guys.”

During a subsequent interview with a television station, Yibo asked a reporter to gift the girl some balloons.

He reportedly told the girl: “In the future, when you go out with your grandmother, hold onto her hand and don’t get lost again.”

For his kind act, Yibo was honoured by his school and received a 5,000 yuan (S$970) reward from a company, which was not named.

He initially did not reveal his name to the police and said he studied at a special needs school.

The police and the girl’s family found Yibo at his school and thanked him. The girl is not named in the reports.

Yibo reportedly achieves good grades in school and enjoys playing sports, cooking and drawing.

He also represented Shaanxi province at China’s National Paralympic Games and National Special Olympics.

It is unclear when he participated, but Yibo won two gold and two silver medals in roller-skating events.

His headmaster said in a South China Morning Post report on Sunday that Yibo entered the school with an emotional disorder in 2016.

However, in recent times, he has gained more control over it, added the report.