By Yuan Yuan

When they fell in love with breakdancing， or “breaking，” these young boys in beanie hats and baggy clothes never could have imagined this fringe cultural offering would one day become a mainstream Olympic sport.

Shang Xiaoyu felt star-crossed when breakdancing foot rocked its way into his life. Considered a “bad student” who frequently skipped class and got into fights with other students in junior middle school， this millennial had no idea how his life could， and would， be changed dramatically by a niche dance genre.

Shang was 13. It was a regular day at school when he happened to pass through a classroom where a handful of students were practicing their breaking moves. A mere glance of the scene made him stop in his tracks. “This looks super cool，” Shang said. “I must learn how to do that.”

Breakdancing soon became his focus and he also proved to be a natural at it. He practiced hard and began to make a name for himself through various competitions. At the age of 18， he became the only representative of China competing at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games. He reached the final eight in the mens group.

A bigger stage awaits him now as the International Olympic Committee （IOC） has announced breakdance as an official Olympic event to debut in Paris in 2024.

Street to stage

Yang Kai， renowned as Chinas leading breakdancer， didnt travel to Argentina as Shang did due to his age—he was 31 already at the time.

Born in 1987， Yang had his first taste of breaking when watching TV at home when he was about 15.

Originating in the 1970s as part of early hip-hop culture in the United States， breaking was introduced to China in the 1980s， causing a flurry of excitement among Chinas youth. China held its first-ever national breaking competition in 1988.

Breaking has long been regarded by mainstream society as a dance genre for “slackers.”

Therefore， when Yang made the bold decision to quit school and become a full-time breakdancer， he received nothing but some very strong parental opposition. His persistence finally persuaded his parents， who agreed on condition that he had to “show some results within a couple of years.”

Among several street-dance styles， including locking and popping， Yang finally pinned down breaking as his focus as it demands higher levels of physical strength， coordination and creativity.

In 2004， two years after he embarked on this newfangled career， he won a national street dance competition. In the following years， he scooped up a dozen champ titles in various competitions， both in and outside of China， making him the“B-Boy King of China.”