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Breaker Liu Qingyi CHN – aka ‘B-Girl 671’ – spectacular dance routines with built-in Chinese style
Chinese athlete B-Girl 671, age 19, is one of the world’s best in the new generation competing in Breaking, the spectacular urban dance form which was introduced to The World Games in Birmingham, Alabama in 2022. There, she finished just outside the medals. This time round, after refining her technique, adding some ‘Chinese style’ and developing her physical training routines over the past three years, she is aiming for the very top.
Valuable Olympic Games experience
B-Girl 671, Liu Qingyi, won the bronze medal in the Olympic Games last year, following her gold medal in the prestigious Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. “My experience in the Paris Olympics is very valuable in my breaking career, and for sure I gained a lot,” says B-Girl 671. “If possible I will try to build a stronger mindset, show more freedom and create more surprising moments for the Games this year.”
The last edition of The World Games was also a big learning experience:
“The World Games 2022 was the first international competition where I made it to the semi-finals. I learnt how to organize my sets and how to adapt myself to the world-level stage, and how to prepare my battle strategy in advance according to different opponents.”
Liu Qingyi, B-Girl 671, finished fourth behind b-girls Ami (JPN), Sunny Choi (USA) and Ayumi (JPN).
She has also won silver medals in two world championships – in 2022 (Seoul) and 2024 (Chengdu).
How it all started for 671
Liu Qingyi has had a meteoric rise to the top! Originally from Huixian City in China, B-Girl 671 (671 is like the way her name is pronounced in English) was 10 years old when she first saw breaking on the streets, and was instantly attracted. She quickly found a studio where she could start learning; this was where she met her first breaking teacher, B-Boy Bo, who immediately commented “She’ll be a good b-girl, let’s start.” And she got into her first crew, ‘Show-off Crew’.
Breaking also had a big effect on 671’s personality. When she began she was a shy girl, and dancing helped her come out of her shell. Through the community element of breaking, 671 enjoyed practicing with people, having a way to express herself, and being able to share the dance with everyone around her. She says that breaking “developed me as a person, gave me more confidence, a vision and direction of how to live a good life, and through it, I made new friends.”
The next step - the national team
After joining her first crew, 671 then became a member of her city team. “That’s when I started training more formally.” It was here that 671 met her second breaking teacher, B-Boy Chao, who was her city team’s coach. She won the b-girl solo battle at a big breaking competition at the China Games, and from there, was selected for Team China. Joining Team China took 671’s breaking to the next level, with the opportunity for regular strength and conditioning training.
Getting specialist help in doing just the right training has been a big step forward for 671 – and she is continuing to develop new eye-catching moves, based on her improved physical prowess. “I work on strength, agility, flexibility and ‘explosiveness’, and especially stamina training,” she says.
Finding her ‘Chinese style’
It turned out that B-Boy Chao had far more to offer her as a coach. He taught her about the essence of breaking and the culture that the dance came from. She says: “He taught me the foundation and about hip-hop culture, and through learning about this I was then able to find my own style.”
This was a vital piece of the breaking puzzle for 671, and her style and real character in the dance became what she wanted people to know her for, as she explains: “When I compete, I want people to know my style and who I am as B-Girl 671.”
What specialist help do you have in planning your dance routines for big competitions?
“I have the national team coach as well as my provincial coach to help me prepare the routines. Meanwhile I have several crew members training with me every day. For different types of competition, we have different strategies.”
As in all dance disciplines, choreography is all-important – and in breaking, the routines are adjusted for each individual opponent. In The World Games, single athletes (b-boys & b-girls) compete against each other in ‘battles’. There are two short rounds per battle; scores for each battle are determined by a panel of judges.
They mark on Technique (body control, dynamics etc.), Vocabulary (number and variety of moves), Execution (clean performance, and ‘flow’), Musicality (breakers’ reaction to the music, which is not known in advance) and Originality (how breakers ‘wow’ the audience - where 671’s ‘Chinese style’ comes in).
And so to B-Girl 671’s second World Games
The special Chinese-style moves that 671 has built into her performance really paid off at the Olympic Games. Here she took the bronze medal behind Japanese B-Girl Ami and Lithuanian Nicka. She is developing this style further in preparation for The World Games, where she says: “I hope to enjoy everything that will happen on the stage, and do what I can do and what I want do without any pressure or regrets.”
And before and after her competition?
“I will spend more time with my family, or travel and chill with my good friends when not competing.”
On home ground and performing in front of a large and committed audience, 671 will for sure be a force to be reckoned with in the fight for the coveted medals.
Valuable Olympic Games experience
B-Girl 671, Liu Qingyi, won the bronze medal in the Olympic Games last year, following her gold medal in the prestigious Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. “My experience in the Paris Olympics is very valuable in my breaking career, and for sure I gained a lot,” says B-Girl 671. “If possible I will try to build a stronger mindset, show more freedom and create more surprising moments for the Games this year.”
The last edition of The World Games was also a big learning experience:
“The World Games 2022 was the first international competition where I made it to the semi-finals. I learnt how to organize my sets and how to adapt myself to the world-level stage, and how to prepare my battle strategy in advance according to different opponents.”
Liu Qingyi, B-Girl 671, finished fourth behind b-girls Ami (JPN), Sunny Choi (USA) and Ayumi (JPN).
She has also won silver medals in two world championships – in 2022 (Seoul) and 2024 (Chengdu).
How it all started for 671
Liu Qingyi has had a meteoric rise to the top! Originally from Huixian City in China, B-Girl 671 (671 is like the way her name is pronounced in English) was 10 years old when she first saw breaking on the streets, and was instantly attracted. She quickly found a studio where she could start learning; this was where she met her first breaking teacher, B-Boy Bo, who immediately commented “She’ll be a good b-girl, let’s start.” And she got into her first crew, ‘Show-off Crew’.
Breaking also had a big effect on 671’s personality. When she began she was a shy girl, and dancing helped her come out of her shell. Through the community element of breaking, 671 enjoyed practicing with people, having a way to express herself, and being able to share the dance with everyone around her. She says that breaking “developed me as a person, gave me more confidence, a vision and direction of how to live a good life, and through it, I made new friends.”
The next step - the national team
After joining her first crew, 671 then became a member of her city team. “That’s when I started training more formally.” It was here that 671 met her second breaking teacher, B-Boy Chao, who was her city team’s coach. She won the b-girl solo battle at a big breaking competition at the China Games, and from there, was selected for Team China. Joining Team China took 671’s breaking to the next level, with the opportunity for regular strength and conditioning training.
Getting specialist help in doing just the right training has been a big step forward for 671 – and she is continuing to develop new eye-catching moves, based on her improved physical prowess. “I work on strength, agility, flexibility and ‘explosiveness’, and especially stamina training,” she says.
Finding her ‘Chinese style’
It turned out that B-Boy Chao had far more to offer her as a coach. He taught her about the essence of breaking and the culture that the dance came from. She says: “He taught me the foundation and about hip-hop culture, and through learning about this I was then able to find my own style.”
This was a vital piece of the breaking puzzle for 671, and her style and real character in the dance became what she wanted people to know her for, as she explains: “When I compete, I want people to know my style and who I am as B-Girl 671.”
What specialist help do you have in planning your dance routines for big competitions?
“I have the national team coach as well as my provincial coach to help me prepare the routines. Meanwhile I have several crew members training with me every day. For different types of competition, we have different strategies.”
As in all dance disciplines, choreography is all-important – and in breaking, the routines are adjusted for each individual opponent. In The World Games, single athletes (b-boys & b-girls) compete against each other in ‘battles’. There are two short rounds per battle; scores for each battle are determined by a panel of judges.
They mark on Technique (body control, dynamics etc.), Vocabulary (number and variety of moves), Execution (clean performance, and ‘flow’), Musicality (breakers’ reaction to the music, which is not known in advance) and Originality (how breakers ‘wow’ the audience - where 671’s ‘Chinese style’ comes in).
And so to B-Girl 671’s second World Games
The special Chinese-style moves that 671 has built into her performance really paid off at the Olympic Games. Here she took the bronze medal behind Japanese B-Girl Ami and Lithuanian Nicka. She is developing this style further in preparation for The World Games, where she says: “I hope to enjoy everything that will happen on the stage, and do what I can do and what I want do without any pressure or regrets.”
And before and after her competition?
“I will spend more time with my family, or travel and chill with my good friends when not competing.”
On home ground and performing in front of a large and committed audience, 671 will for sure be a force to be reckoned with in the fight for the coveted medals.
