The Chinese hip-hop anthem Blueprint Supreme, which samples the 68-year-old Cantonese opera The Flower Princess, has sparked a global frenzy. At the graduation ceremony of Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University, thousands of students danced in unison to the "spreading wings" choreography, while New York's Times Square and London's Chinatown synced up to the same beat. A Brazilian dance group even creatively adapted it into a samba version... The Guangdong-born lead singer, Lan Lao (aka SKAI ISYOURGOD), has also surpassed "King of Mandopop" Jay Chou with 3.02 million monthly listeners on Spotify, topping the platform's chart for Mandarin-language artists.
In fact, Blueprint Supreme's global appeal is no accident—it's a vivid example of the recent success of Chinese cultural exports. It demonstrates how C-POP (Chinese POP) is leading the charge in China's contemporary pop culture, adopting a new paradigm of "light industry, strong rhythm" to captivate global audiences with distinctly "Chinese-flavored" storytelling.
The track blends nostalgic background music with modern hip-hop vocals, while its lyrics depict the lifestyle of wealthy Guangdong families in the late 1990s. This balance of old and new creates a unique charm, amplified by the wildly addictive dance moves (hands mimicking a swan spreading its wings, sliding steps, and sharp turns) choreographed by Chongqing's Buqi Crew. Its low barrier to entry and high contagion sparked a mass imitation wave, triggering exponential spread both domestically and abroad. On Douyin (TikTok in mainland China), over 500,000 recreations have been posted, spanning everyone from farmers to office workers. On TikTok globally, Korean trainees, American high schoolers, and influencers worldwide have jumped on the trend, pushing the hashtag's views past 5 billion.
The chosen one
"I was chosen by the times. If not for the rise of social media, I'd probably still be working odd jobs in Chengdu," Lan Lao thought back on his way to fame with clear self-awareness. After the song went viral, he maintained a packed schedule of three to four performances a week across China. Recently, he announced a solo concert in Taiwan and a year-and-a-half-long international tour. Through his live shows, C-POP continues to ride the wave of Blueprint Supreme's explosive success.
Ahead of his Taiwan concert, Lan Lao sat down for an exclusive interview with Wen Wei Po, revealing that Blueprint Supreme was written in just one hour. Overseas fans have enthusiastically mimicked lyrics like "Let's have tea first" and "Red envelopes," while vibing to lines like "Singing karaoke in my mansion, silver arowana swimmin' in da pond." These weren't deliberately crafted hip-hop tropes; they were born from Lan Lao's deep nostalgia for his Guangdong hometown while working menial jobs in Chengdu.
The song's popularity proves a shift in music consumption
"This phenomenon confirms the transformation of music consumption in the social media era. The model of 'a hit song making the artist' has replaced traditional star-making paths," noted Li Sanmu, a renowned mainland music producer.
According to Li, Blueprint Supreme's global craze is essentially an extension of China's digital technology expansion, carrying cultural narratives along with it. Whether it's pop music, short dramas, or web novels, they're all cultural byproducts of China's tech infrastructure going global.
Just as TikTok's algorithm can push the 22-second "spreading wings" dance to users of different cultural backgrounds, WeTV (Tencent Video's international arm) helped the drama Legend of Zang Hai top Disney+'s Southeast Asia charts. Online novel platform WebNovel has exported over 10,000 online novels overseas, while Douyin's micro-dramas have gained millions of paying users in Europe and America... Digital platforms have built efficient bridges for cross-cultural dissemination.
Li contrasts this with K-POP's reliance on American capital and technology, whereas C-POP leverages the globalization of China's tech giants to construct a complete ecosystem—from content production to distribution. This shift is gradually giving China more influence in shaping the new pop culture landscape.
Highbrow and lowbrow, all go global
Responding to critiques that some overseas-hit Chinese songs are "too simplistic," Li urges optimism: "At this stage, we shouldn't obsess over whether a work 'represents Chinese culture'—the key is that it's successfully reaching the world." When Korean youth eagerly replicate dance moves despite not understanding the lyrics, he believes Chinese pop culture has already transitioned from being "pushed out" to being "embraced." This unconventional, light-footed approach showcases the raw creativity of China's younger generation.
Li firmly believes that Chinese pop culture, with its "cultural light industry" traits—high frequency and strong audience feedback—is injecting new grammar into global pop culture.
As Lan Lao sings in Blueprint Supreme: "Everyone's got rules that they call code; go against the current if you want your ship to float."
(Source: Wen Wei Po; Journalist: Hu Ruozhang; English Editor: Darius)
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