Hip-hop action livens up rural Guangdong

When he first arrived in 2019 for sightseeing in the Conghua district of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Luther Tai, 28, said what attracted him most, beyond the natural mountain scenery, was the honest, simple local children.

Tai, from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said he saw in their faces not only loneliness but also their desire to express themselves.

Many of the children had been left behind when their parents went to work outside the district.

Tai who has practiced hip-hop since 2009, when he was 16, wanted to do something for the children. So when he arrived in Conghua again in May 2020, he set up his first dance studio with an investment of 50,000 yuan ($7,692).

He frequently visited local communities to teach children hip-hop at no charge and invited their parents to watch.

"Hip-hop dance is an emerging cultural trend, and for many young people it's a way to attract attention," Tai said.

"I hope to be able to bring confidence to the children, to help them find themselves and enrich their lives. I want to encourage them to keep away from drug use and other bad behavior, and liven up their lives in the countryside."

Many children have become more confident and cheerful after learning the hip-hop. They think the dance is cool, and teaching it gives him a sense of achievement, he said.

So far, Tai's hip-hop studio has attracted around 50 local children, many of them left behind by their parents.

Tai said he hoped to be able to open more studios and children's talent training and demonstration centers in the next five years.

Meanwhile he hopes to encourage and attract more young people from Hong Kong and Macao to innovate and start businesses in rural Guangdong following his successful example of entrepreneurship. Those areas have even more business opportunities than Hong Kong, he said.

Lin Hanxue in Guangzhou contributed to this story.