Students dedicate hip-hop song to Tsinghua University

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A hip-hop song written by two Tsinghua University students has gone viral online recently. Entitled "Tsinghua Tao," the upbeat number highlights the spirit of the university.

It took them three months to put their ideas into this song, and an additional two weeks to make the music video.

A still from the music video of "Tsinghua Tao" /Handout Photo

"We wanted this song to express the spirit of Tsinghua. We aim to become a first-class university in the world. As one of the best universities in China, the students should be proud and show off our confidence," said Duo Ligang, one of the singers and songwriters.

Another still from "Tsinghua Tao" /Handout Photo

Shortly after the song aired online, it went viral. In 12 hours, it got over 100,000 views and 1,000 comments.

The singers brought their song to many stages, both in and out of campus.

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Netizens aren't only enamored with the song, but the fact that the singer-songwriters are both straight A students. Duo Ligang was the top scorer in Xinjiang during the 2015 college entrance examination and is now majoring in automotive engineering. Su Han was enrolled in college at the age of 16, and is now working on a PhD in biomedical engineering.

But it was their love for hip-hop that brought them together.

"I believe the core of hip-hop is 'keep it real,' say whatever you want to say and do whatever you want to do. Hip-hop taught me to be real to myself and not to be complacent because of mundane life," said Duo.

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Su Han added: "After I started to make hip-hop music, I became more confident about expressing my feelings and attitudes. I feel free and passionate."

With hip-hop blowing up in China recently, there's been some negative feedback about the genre. Specifically, some artists' behavior and lyrics.

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The students say they hope audiences can separate the behavior of certain people from the music genre, and be more tolerant and open-minded.

"I want to use hip-hop to bring more positive energy to the society. This is how we can contribute. We want to share what we see and feel through hip-hop," said Su.