Shy and soft-spoken, the young man transformed the moment he began to sing. As soon as his deep, resonant voice filled the bar, the audience was instantly transported to the vast, boundless grasslands. They could almost feel the cool, crisp air, hear the rustling of the wind through tall trees, and sense the pulse of wild, untamed nature around them.

"I had no idea what khoomei was until I watched a performance at a restaurant in my hometown. I was instantly hooked. I had no background in anything close, so I started searching for teachers and resources," says Liu. "The sound stole my heart."

He found a teacher online. Every week, he saved up 50 yuan ($6.8) and used it to attend a 20-minute lesson with the teacher, who normally charged 200 yuan for an hour. He couldn't afford the full lesson, so he made do with what he could.

"I made lots of friends through social media who also like khoomei and sing it, which is like a bonus," says Liu, who impressed the audience and won third prize after three rounds.

"Liu Haojia's involvement in the competition is a testament to the growing popularity and appreciation of khoomei among the younger generation, even those far removed from its Mongolian roots," says the competition's organizer Liu Zhao, founder-owner of Beijing-headquartered company, Stallion Era (Beijing) Culture Communication. The company has introduced a number of artists from Mongolia and Tuva to Chinese music lovers, including Huun-Huur-Tu, a musical group from Tuva.