Preserving a cultural movement

It was then that he made a bold choice to dedicate himself entirely to dance. Moving to Chengdu, he scraped by with weekend promotional performances in local malls, two shows for 300 yuan ($42). At first, he imitated others, like many beginners, but this uniformity soon bred discontent.

"If we all stood in a line, the moves would appear to be exactly the same," he recalled.

His breakthrough came in 2005 when he snatched the national title at the China Mobile Street Dance Contest. Two years later, his first trip abroad to compete in Japan's Old School Night street dance competition became a turning point, where he met, and later studied under, locking legend Tony Gogo — who provided the foundation of his understanding of, and approach to, dance.

"Tony didn't just teach moves — he taught why they existed," Jay said. "He'd say: 'This came from stepping on a staircase, from playing around.' That is creation, taking something simple and building from it."

From being an amateur to staking his place among locking's elite, Jay never stops polishing his moves and experimenting with different styles, always with an eye on gold.

In 2010, Jay clinched his first KOD world title. Victories in 2011, 2012 and 2014 followed, making him the first dancer to win multiple times at the elite global event. After retiring from competitive battling, he transitioned into new roles as a judge, an educator and a cultural ambassador for Chinese street dance.

Yet, the journey has not been without criticism. Some have argued his choreography lacks synchronization, or is too stylistically individual for group dances. Others have accused him of being too repetitive.