The Hip-Hop Youth of Xinjiang | Jiemian “Noon Story”
Zhu Mo—Jiemian
The Rap of China, a reality-TV competition, has garnered wide viewership in China since it first aired in 2017. The second season featured four contestants from Xinjiang, whom the audience dubbed the “Four Brothers of Tianshan.” Three of them are Uighur. Aire, from Kashgar, and Nawukere, from Urumqi, eventually went on to secure first and second place. Their success came against the backdrop of the Chinese government’s increasing repression of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. An estimated one million Uighurs have been or are currently held in “re-education” camps, where they must renounce their Islamic beliefs. After watching The Rap of China, photographer Zhu Mo visited Xinjiang to tell stories about young Uighurs’ passion for hip hop and their struggles to enter the national stage.
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The Rap of China, a reality-TV competition, has garnered wide viewership in China since it first aired in 2017. The second season featured four contestants from Xinjiang, whom the audience dubbed the “Four Brothers of Tianshan.” Three of them are Uighur. Aire, from Kashgar, and Nawukere, from Urumqi, eventually went on to secure first and second place. Their success came against the backdrop of the Chinese government’s increasing repression of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. An estimated one million Uighurs have been or are currently held in “re-education” camps, where they must renounce their Islamic beliefs. After watching The Rap of China, photographer Zhu Mo visited Xinjiang to tell stories about young Uighurs’ passion for hip hop and their struggles to enter the national stage.