Rappers bring real China to the world

"We didn't expect all the attention. We joked that if we could predict the popularity, we would have shown our faces clearly in the video," said Wang of This Is China, in which he and his fellow rappers appear with their faces painted in the style of Peking Opera masks.

"We love the country and we want to make a change," Wang said.

Li Yijie, another CD Rev rapper, who graduated as an English major from Sichuan Normal University, wrote the lyrics in English because the band wanted to directly communicate with foreign audiences in the four-minute song.

CD Rev uses rap to show the world the real China, Li said. The band wants to deliver more than patriotic songs, hoping to reflect youths' attitude toward social issues.

Other than This is China, the group has released a dozen songs since its inception in 2015. Wang, who graduated from Sichuan University of Media and Communication, had the idea of founding the rap group with like-minded friends, all of whom are in their early 20s.

"How we look at the world and what we think in a positive way shows in our rap," Wang said.

"Rap can be so cool, even when it's about a serious issue," he said, adding that he listens to Western rappers such as Jay-Z and 2 Chainz.

With the exposure to Western culture, young people in China have in recent years used rap as a way to express individuality and identity.

"Instead of using explicit lyrics, young Chinese rappers write in a unique style, telling stories about their daily lives," said Li Haiqin, founder of Hip-Hop Fusion, an organization based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, that promotes Chinese hip-hop.