Chongqing — Zhou Junyi, as a young dancer from Chongqing Song and Dance Troupe, has learned dance for more than ten years. When he finished primary school at the age of 12, he had my first introduction to dance, and at the age of 22, when Zhou graduated from college, he landed a job at Chongqing Song and Dance Troupe. 

Zhou Junyi in the dance studio. (Photo/Yue Xingchen)   

"It's no doubt that learning dancing comes with a lot of pain. This is because I need to get up early and leave home at seven o'clock and go to the troupe for practicing every day since I was 12 years old. However, I really enjoy the feeling of performing on the stage and seeing people applaud for me. It's a happy thing to do what we like." Zhou said. 

Zhou Junyi in the dance studio. (Photo/Yue Xingchen)

Where there is a will, there is a way. Zhou luckily landed a role in the dance drama Du Fu in 2015 and then performed it more than one hundred times. Zhou told us, "At first, I was only a nobody that cut no figure. But gradually, my hard practice paid off and helped me get the role of ‘Quan.’ This character needs a dramatic delivery, which can be seen as a bright spot of the dance. "

A scene in the dance drama Du Fu. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

With continuous efforts,  Zhou is well received among the audience. On the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Zhou said that as a CPC member and a dancer, he wants to use his body language to carry forward our Chinese culture. Moreover, he hopes he can get a leading role through hard practice in a new dance drama.

Zhou said that as a CPC member and a dancer, he wants to use his body language to carry forward our Chinese culture. (Photo/Yue Xingchen)