CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Wednesday, August 5, 2020 | 17 YOUTH Top left: Zhang Yixing Stepping in with (second from left), a celebrity judge on the show, Street Dance of China, takes part in a group performance on the third season of the show. Top right and left: message of positivity Ye Yin, winner of the second season. Delayed and forced to adjust its format by the COVID-19 pandemic, popular street dance competition makes a triumphant comeback with the third season promoting a theme of love and hope, Chen Nan reports. n the rooftops of two high-rises, against the background of a seeming- ly empty city, two dancers Ostart to sweat as they pound out their snazzy, smart steps. Cheers, from somewhere unseen, could be heard in waves encouraging every well-drilled step. The opening scene of the third season of reality show Street Dance of China, which premiered on July 18, touched viewers’ hearts. It resembled a scene witnessed by many cities during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, when people were confined to their homes, leav- ing the streets empty, but still found together,” says Ye, who was first social cheer by greeting neighbors Jackson Wang (center), a celebrity judge of the show, Street Dance drawn to street dance by watching from their windows. of China, poses with contestants. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Michael Jackson’s music videos as a The opening performance ended primary school student. He started up with a collective ensemble of 400 to learn street dance in high school, street dancers. performances, conducting street says another fan. “When they are on usually dancing for hours every day The first episode of the new sea- dance training classes and partici- the show, they display a different and even found himself dancing son received warm feedback from pating in street dance competitions. side as great dancers, especially while walking down the street. viewers, many of whom were fans of However, their passion for the art when they are battling with the oth- “I feel happy when I dance. I nev- its first two seasons, which garnered never dies,” says Lu. er dancers.” er expected to launch a career as a 1.86 billion views and 2.18 billion “When we discussed the theme of Ye Yin, the winner of the second dancer. It’s totally out of passion,” he views, respectively. the third season, we soon decided to season, also performed in the new adds. Lu Wei, director of the reality deliver a message about the battle season’s first episode. The 28-year- Besides dancing, Ye is also a show, which was produced by Chi- for love and for hope.” old from Shanghai has had a hectic designer, who obtained his bache- nese online video platform Youku, And the message seemed well- schedule since he rose to fame. He lor’s degree from Shanghai Institute was inspired by similar scenes he received. launched his own dance studio in of Technology with a major in art saw play out in online short videos “Watching the dancers’ perform- Shanghai last March, which offers and design. made by people in Wuhan, when ances gave me goose bumps,” com- street dance classes to over 700 stu- “When we knew that the latest the city was severely hit by the pan- ments a fan, Zai Qiqi. “There are dents of various ages. season of the reality show was about demic and was forced into lock- some dancers returning to the show In January this year, Ye strained to premiere, all my dancer friends down. from the first two seasons and I am the ligaments in his knees after felt excited,” says Xia Rui, deputy “The pandemic has had a deep excited to see which of the new com- jumping from a high platform dur- director of the China Hip-Hop influence on every one of us, and petitors might become the dark ing a performance in Shanghai. He Union Committee, which was made our show’s third season differ- horse of the competition.” had to rest at home for weeks. founded by the Chinese Dancers works based on a combination of verge of closing down due to the ent,” says Lu, adding that before the Like the first two seasons, the Because of the pandemic, he then Association in 2013. street dance styles and Chinese pandemic. outbreak, the program had planned reality show has four celebrity judg- had to cancel all his performance “The reality show is like a home dance styles were encouraged by the “It’s a heavy blow to the whole to have over 100 contestants from es — Zhang Yixing, Jackson Wang, and training plans. for street dancers. Many Chinese committee to localize the Western street dance industry and now with overseas to join in the show, an idea Wang Yibo and Wallace Chung — to Many of his dancer friends also dancers joined in to communicate art form and showcase Chinese everything getting back to normal that sadly had to be aborted. lead over 400 competitors chosen canceled plans to participate in and display their skills,” Xia adds. dancers’ creativity. gradually, we want to attract more The public health crisis has hit from thousands of candidates from street dance competitions held both The committee has more than 30 There are over 3 million people people to the dance through the many sectors, including the hip-hop across the country to battle in the in China and abroad. subcommittees nationwide and has in the country working in fields reality show,” Xia adds. dance scene. show. “The outbreak forced people to been participating in, and promot- related to street dance. Xia says “For street dancers, they couldn’t “The four judges have developed stay at home. It was frustrating for ing, the reality show since its first that 90 percent of private street Contact the writer at do their regular jobs, such as giving their careers in music and acting,” street dancers, who couldn’t dance season. Original choreographic dance organizations are on the [email protected] 3D-printed China beckons for top Kiwi students WELLINGTON — The New announced during the competi- in his opening remarks to students bridge on Zealand final of the 13th “Chinese tion. said there are over 6,000 secondary Bridge” Speech Contest for World Adele Bryant, director of the school students studying Chinese in Secondary School Students ended Confucius Institute at Victoria Uni- New Zealand, and only 18 have campus sets recently at the Confucius Institute versity of Wellington, says: “It has made it to take part in this senior at Victoria University of Welling- been exciting to see how students competition. ton. and teachers have responded to “I hope, this will be the begin- world record Three Confucius Institutes in the new online format, and we ning of an involvement with Chi- New Zealand selected 35 contest- think that this could make it easier nese that will take you in directions SHIJIAZHUANG — A university ants from 25 local schools to par- for more students to participate in you don’t yet know,” Browne says. in North China recently set a new ticipate in the competition, and the future.” “For me, I started my Chinese stud- world record for the longest the top four in the high school Rhea Homroy, a contestant from ies 47 years ago. It has been part of 3D-printed bridge. group are set to represent New the junior high school group, says: my life ever since. You don’t know With a length of 28.1 meters, the Zealand in the finals of the “Chi- “New Zealand and China have what direction your career will concrete bridge is modeled on Modeled on the age-old Zhaozhou Bridge, the 3D-printed structure is nese Bridge” Chinese Speech Con- always had a very good political take you, but I hope China will be Zhaozhou Bridge, a 1,400-year-old on a campus of Hebei University of Technology. It was created by a test for World Middle School and economic relationship. Learn- part of it.” stone arch structure in North China’s research team led by Ma Guowei, a professor at the university. XINHUA Students in China. ing Chinese will open a door to a The competition which is run Hebei province. The country decided to run the different world. Learning Chinese internationally by the Centre for The bridge was certified by Guin- competition in an online format will help people to understand Language Education and Coopera- ness World Records in late July. Hebei University of Technology. the Xiaohe River in Zhaoxian coun- divided into two parts: speech and each other. This can make the tion was hosted by the Confucius About half the size of the Zhao- It has been installed on one of the ty, Hebei province. It was built dur- talent. bridge between us stronger and Institute at Victoria University of zhou Bridge, the 3D-printed struc- university’s campuses. ing the Sui Dynasty (581-618). Contestants submitted videos of make our future better.” Wellington this year. ture was created by a research team The Zhaozhou Bridge, also their talent performance in Tony Browne, chairman of the led by Ma Guowei, a professor at the known as Anji Bridge, stands over XINHUA advance and the winners were Confucius Institute at the university, XINHUA.