Breaking, a style of street dance, is becoming a new catalyst, invigorating cultural scenes in cities like Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, and Shanghai.

Originating in the United States in the 1970s, breaking made its Olympic debut at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018 and was chosen to feature in Paris 2024 as a new sport.
The Paris 2024 breaking competitions will comprise two events - men's solo and women's solo - where 16 B-boys and 16 B-girls will go face to face in solo battles.
"The news that breaking was selected for Paris 2024 as a competition event excites me. It's a great encouragement for my teaching career and my dance life," said Lai Ke, a breaking dance teacher in Xi'an.
In Shanghai, the development of breaking dance features two parallel models: one designed for breaking amateurs and another for professional dancers.
Elevating to the world stage, breaking has become an event with standardized scoring criteria. In Paris 2024, referees will evaluate the performances of participating dancers based on three aspects: physical quality, artistry, and expressive ability.
"Whether it's Wushu, Opera, or some folk arts in China, you can incorporate them into your breaking performance to win the audience. I believe this will be a good starting point," said Wang Shenjiong, an international referee of breaking at the World DanceSport Federation.