Steps in a new direction

After paying his debts, Wu returned home and launched a street dance training school in 2015. Last year, he got married.

Now, one of Wu's wishes is to choreograph dance moves which combine martial arts with break dance.

"What I want to do now is to pass down my techniques and inspire the young to dance," he says. "I am glad to see that parents encourage their children to learn street dance since it's seen as a good way to improve body strength and balance as well as gain confidence."

According to Xia Rui, the deputy director of the China Hip-Hop Union Committee, which was founded by the Chinese Dancers Association in 2013, street dance is no longer just for a few, as witnessed over the past decade.

In 2015, hip-hop dance teaching materials were published by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing House.

In February, organizers of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris proposed making the hip-hop style of break dance as an Olympic event. The idea was given a trial run at the 2018 Youth Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The appeal of street dance has also been boosted by popular reality shows, such as Street Dance of China, streamed by the video site Youku.

Han Yu, who was crowned champion in the first season of Street Dance of China in 2018, was a torch bearer at the 18th Asian Games in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and now has his own dance studio in Beijing.

Speaking about his prospects, Han, who was named Most Influential Male Dancer of the Year by WDG in Henan, says: "I didn't expect that I could go this far as a dancer. I just love dancing. Even when I am not practicing, I am thinking about it. Street dance is now embraced by young Chinese since it's all about self-expression and individuality."