Nation's fading tongues find voice in rap revival

At the recent Space Romance music festival in Chengdu, Sichuan province, thousands of fans enthusiastically rapped along in the Changsha dialect to one act, even though most cannot understand the language.

On stage, C-Block from Changsha, Hunan province, was rocking the audience with their distinctive dialect rap during the festival, which took place on May 2-3.

But C-Block are far from alone in remapping rap's language boundaries. In recent years, dialect rap has become increasingly popular in China's booming hip-hop scene, driving a growing number of rappers to dive deep into their cultural roots and explore their identities, in the process connecting with fans nationwide and across the world.

According to a list compiled by the popular online music critic, New Music Industry Observer, seven out of the 10 most acclaimed rap albums in China last year used local dialects, emanating from Sichuan, Shandong, Henan and Hubei provinces, as well as cities such as Chongqing and Changsha.

The story of rap in China, and how it tapped into local voices and culture, dates back to its earliest days and a belief it could help revive local languages.

Liu Liangji, or Mr. weezy, a 41-year-old rapper from Shanghai, is clear about his cultural mission.

He insists on making rap songs not for money or fame, but to save and promote local dialects and cultures.