Sun Jian, a 22-year-old male pole dancer from Yibin in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, returned to China with glory on Thursday after coming first at the Pole Art France 2017 competition in Paris on Monday. /via Sun Jian’s Weibo account

Sun quit school, left his hometown and worked at a construction site in the southern city of Guangzhou until he came across a pole dancing video online six years ago. He was instantly fascinated by the art and quit the job to focus on his true passion despite misunderstandings. "My co-workers told me not to spend my time on ‘meaningless things.’ I never listened," Sun says. /via Sun Jian’s Weibo account

What made him sadder were the objections from his family who thought pole dancing was vulgar and had no future. His father even asked him to leave Guangzhou and come home immediately, or he would be disowned. /via Sun Jian’s Weibo account

That didn’t stop him from practicing and improving the skills day by day. In 2012, he attended his first pole dancing competition in Tianjin where he finished last. But he was "not disappointed at all". /via Sun Jian’s Weibo account

He practiced harder and the work has paid off. In 2013, he made it to the semifinal of an international competition in London. And now, he became the first Chinese dancer to win Pole Art France, one of the world’s most prestigious pole dance competitions. /via Sun Jian’s Weibo account

Since then, his parents have finally come to accept and support his career, and Sun hopes more people in the country will do the same. "Many people still don’t understand that pole dancing doesn’t have to be obscene to watch," Sun said. "It can actually be very artistic. I am trying to help change public perceptions." /via Sun Jian’s Weibo account

Meanwhile, Sun is also working hard to achieving his ultimate dream. "If pole dancing can enter the Olympics, I want to be its first champion." /via Sun Jian’s Weibo account