Male pole dancer helping change perceptions

His father asked him to work at construction sites every weekend and during summer vacations, and Wang started working full-time there after graduating from middle school.

But his quest to learn pole dancing did not end. Without money to attend professional training courses, he studied pole dancing from online videos and practiced on scaffolds at the construction site.

He mastered most of the basic techniques, although the rusty poles wore out his clothes and often left him bruised.

In 2007, one year after he had started working full-time, he had saved up 5,000 yuan ($800) and used the money to enroll at a dance school in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, despite strong opposition from his parents.

"They argued that dancing is not a long-term profession, and worried that I would be penniless when I got old. They wanted me to find a stable job," Wang said. "But I think young people should strengthen their character by battling difficulties - and try your best even if you fail."

It was the hardest time in his life. High tuition fees, rent and living costs left him unable to make ends meet. "I would not give up as I didn't want construction sites to be my lot in life," he said.