Almost a year after Michael Jackson's death, the spirit of the King of Pop appears to live on in a 4-year-old Chinese boy, who is fast becoming an international dance sensation.

Wang Yiming, who is known as Xiao Bao or "Little Treasure", has already been making waves across the world with his dance moves, appearing on United States television show "Ellen" and performing at the Shanghai World Expo.

Xiao Bao draws curious crowds whenever he breaks into a dance routine, which his mother Bian Aiqing said happened almost every time he heard music.

"When he was young, we just started playing music to him and he started moving around like this. But we didn't think that he had such a strong feeling for music," Bian told Reuters.

"When he was just a couple of months old we would let him listen to music and he would immediately stop crying and calm down."

Xiao Bao was born prematurely, and doctors suggested moving his limbs to music would help build his weak muscles, but his parents were surprised by how quickly and passionately he took to the rhythm.

Dancing since he was 2, he has now mastered the moonwalk and other signature Jackson moves, performing them to hits such as "Beat It" and "Billie Jean".

"Even before I was born I would listen to music and dance in my mom's stomach," Xiao Bao said.

Before long, his passion turned into an obsession - the family spends up to 20,000 yuan (US$3,000) a month on dance training with a professional and outfits including tailor-made suits, hats and shirts.

Xiao Bao is serious about his dancing career and said he would like to be famous. His parents say no matter how talented their son is, education comes first.

Jackson's death on June 25, 2009 from cardiac arrest at the age of 50 shocked fans around the world and sparked a new wave of interest in his music, while a documentary film featuring the singer, "This Is It", became a blockbuster hit.

The King of Pop remains hugely popular in China, with developers drawing up plans last year to build a scaled-down version of his Neverland Ranch on Shanghai's Chongming Island.