At the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium in Paris, a huge, hyped-up crowd packed tightly around the circular stage as the Junior Dance Tour final of the world-renowned hip-hop dance competition Juste Debout 2026 entered its critical second round.

Two final one-minute performances, winner takes all.

The DJ dropped a house track: rapid-fire beats, continuous flow.

House doesn't play nice with breaking's heavy downbeats and explosive power moves. China's 13-year-old B-boy Li Yongqiu, however, remained unfazed.

He coolly fired off an arsenal of moves, including the reverse one-handed UFO, clasped-hands goose UFO and one-handed to cross-handed windmill, while sometimes riding the rhythm with his shoulders.

Trading playful, spirited moves with his opponent, dancer Aby from Jamaica, the boy let his swagger do the talking and ultimately took the gold on March 8.

"I'm really happy this time. I've made a lot of progress and also got to experience the atmosphere of competing on a world stage," said Li.

China had three dancers in the junior division final four: gold winner Li, along with Zhao Junhe and Li Muyi.

After the triumph, video clips of the B-boy from Southwest China's Chongqing went viral on Chinese social media.

In them, he sported a yellow knitted beanie over his curly hair. One clip, in particular, took the internet by storm: Li detonated into three razor-sharp headspins, whirling like a human tornado for three rotations before hitting a beat-perfect freeze, stunning the crowd into screaming cheers.

His other signature moves clearly incorporated elements of Chinese martial arts, such as drunken fist and tai chi.

Salah Benlemqawanssa, a competitive hip-hop dancer from France, said that many people found these moves very innovative, adding that Li needs to give them a name."Because they're your moves," he told Li.

"A Chinese martial arts instructor was invited by my coach to teach me kung fu, and then we blended those fluid yet powerful movements into the rhythm and flow of breaking," Li said. "I think Chinese martial arts are really cool!"

It was a summer day when then eight-year-old Li first encountered breaking, seeing some dancers performing on the street.

"It looked awesome, and I wanted to learn," he recalled.

With his parents' support, he began dancing at a studio for nearly three hours every day after school.

"Sometimes it's exhausting, but winning the championship feels amazing. I want to keep going," Li said.

"One day, I want to stand on the Olympic stage."

"After getting into breaking, I feel more confident, and I've built up a lot of muscle."

His younger sister, Li Canjia, has followed in his footsteps and is now a B-girl with three years of dancing experience.

"I want to win a gold, just like my brother," said nine-year-old Canjia, whose young arms already reveal defined muscles.

Both siblings now train at the municipality team training base at Chongqing Shapingba Primary School, which was established in 2022.

There, three coaches help Li Yongqiu improve his power moves, movement transitions and choreography, and tactical execution during competitions.

"What makes breaking difficult is not mastering a particularly difficult move, but rather the day-in, day-out perseverance and the guts to push yourself beyond your limits," said Lei Kai, one of his coaches.

Lei observed that many children, when practicing power moves, are afraid of falling or getting hurt.

"The moment they get stuck, they dare not continue. But Li Yongqiu is different — the harder the move, the more determined he is to conquer it.

"There was a time when he was practicing one-handed spins. He just couldn't get it. We told him to take a rest, but he refused," Lei recalled.

"Instead, he asked us to replay recordings of his practice, watching them over and over, grinding away at it again and again until he finally nailed the move."

In Lei's view, from age eight to 13, Li Yongqiu's biggest transformation has been his shift from impatience to composure.

When faced with problems now, he has learned to control his emotions and find solutions.

"Breaking is now part of China's National Games, the Olympics and the Asian Games. Public awareness has grown, and more people have come to accept street dance," observed another coach Lai Junquan.

"Street dance helps shape children's character. They will become more cheerful and open-minded, daring to break conventions and persevere through challenges.

"None of these kids' progress would be possible without all the support they get. And more children are learning breaking, the number of young dancers has just exploded,"Lai continued.

The number of street dance enthusiasts in Chongqing now exceeds 10,000, with young people accounting for over 60 percent, according to Yang Chao, head of the breaking program at the social sports guidance center of the Chongqing Municipal Sports Bureau.

Chongqing has developed a multi-tiered competition system consisting of the Chongqing Breaking Championships, street dance league tournaments and various commercial events, all organized by the bureau.

"When it comes to the junior age group, Chongqing athletes stand out nationwide with their distinctive style and top-tier skills," Yang said confidently.

"They embody the youthful, confident and trendy spirit of Chongqing as a city."

Luo Beilun, deputy director of the street dance committee under the Chongqing Dancers Association, noted that the core spirit of breaking, namely never admitting defeat, daring to keep trying and always staying passionate, perfectly aligns with the bold, tenacious and open-minded character deeply rooted in Chongqing natives.

"Li Yongqiu's ability to turn the tide on stage and push his physical limits is a perfect reflection of that Chongqing spirit of refusing to back down," Luo said.

"Street dance draws its vitality from the streets. Chongqing's three-dimensional transportation network, layered streets and alleys, and magical topography, when combined with the visually striking nature of street dance, create a unique spectacle.

"The city itself becomes the stage."