Hohhot gets taste of folk talent from around the globe

Peng says three troupes of the Hohhot group stage over 500 performances across the city every year. They also provide young people free training as such opportunities are rare in remote regions.

The performers also visit mountainous areas with bad roads. On one occasion, it was raining, but they just took their instruments and walked until they reached their destination.

"Our responsibility is to promote traditional Mongolian singing and dancing, and pass on its spirit and happiness, especially in the grassroots areas. Our performers visit the houses of the elderly and perform for them," says Peng.

Xia Rui, choreographer of the Youth of China street-dance group and deputy director of the China Hip-Hop Union Committee affiliated with the Chinese Dancers Association, says dancers in the 21 to 22 age group are from all over the country, including the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

"Our choreography is based on the integration of their different styles, and our street dance represents the positive attitude of young Chinese. These dancers love street dance, and that's why they were brought together for the performance."

The committee was founded six years ago. And there are over 3 million professional street dancers on the Chinese mainland, he says.

The reality show Street Dance of China has helped promote the genre.

Muborak Mirzaeva, head of the Uzbek dance group, National Dance Ensemble Sabo, says: "The group's dancing expresses inner feelings with graceful and flexible hand gestures. The dance is an important cultural symbol that our country is striving to protect."