No longer scorned by mainstream society, a team of breakdancers at a jiewu competition last year in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo; China Daily) Photo Gallery>>>

 

    Jue Sun, a sociology doctorate candidate from Hong Kong University, believes that breakdancing in China conveys a different meaning than the breakdancing of the West.

    "Dancing is really about your thinking and your soul," she says. "In other words, dancing is about how to transform the macro world into your dance moves and then express it explicitly."

    She noticed Chinese b-boys and b-girls enjoy demonstrating their sophisticated tricks. She believes this shows that "they are just skillful dancers battling more for fame than for a better society."

    But apart from the pursuit of the world championship, young people mostly regard breakdancing as a hobby, through which they can express their feelings however they want.

    "Breakdancing is a way of life," says amateur breakdancer Xu Ke. "It requires glamorous and passionate movements. I use it to express how I feel about myself and about society. Sometimes I express happiness and sometimes anger, confusion or even disillusionment."

    This Western-born dance form seems to be on the brink of going mainstream in China - if it hasn't already.

    Typing "China the Battle of the Year" into Google's search engine brings up 2,170,000 results.

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