Dozens of other fans helped him but, nearby, several other groups were canvassing for votes for their own heroines, Li Yuchun and Zhou Bichang .

As stars of a televised singing contest called Super Girl, the three women, all in their early 20s, are the latest overnight sensations on the mainland. Each week they perform at least two numbers with a live band and backup singers.

The contest, run by a Hunan satellite TV station, has brought each girl legions of fans.

About a month ago, Beijing woman Liu Qing, 24, advertised her admiration of one of the contestants by signing off her online messenger chats with the words: 'I love Yuchun' and 'No matter how much others sneer at or don't understand me, I am most fond of Yuchun'.

Super Girl, being touted as the mainland's version of American Idol, is the most popular entertainment programme in the country. Since the competition's finals began last month in Changsha , more than 20 million people have tuned in to the show each Friday night, the Beijing News reports.

Launched in March, the contest attracted 150,000 female applicants, aged from six to 89, to auditions in Hangzhou, Changsha, Zhengzhou, Chengdu and Guangzhou.

Now in its second year, the contest has attracted almost three times the number of participants that it did last year. Each week, the public plays the main role in determining which contestants remain on stage by sending in text messages with their choices.

After many elimination rounds, the three singers left go into tonight's final to contest the title.

Last week, there were more than 800,000 text messages in support of Mr Li's favourite, Zhang, but her total was short of Li Yuchun's 1.8 million and Zhou's 1.3 million.

The need for public support has brought fans across the mainland together, and Zhang's supporters are no exception.

'We are campaigning for Liangying spontaneously,' Mr Li said. 'We didn't know each other before, but only communicated through Liangying fan sites on the internet.'

The group plans to continue its outdoor campaign until tonight when the result will be announced.

But not everyone has become hooked on the programme, which goes by the full title of Mongolian Cow Sour Yogurt Super Girl Contest. 'A lot of my friends of a similar age and occupation as me don't like it because we are too busy with work and we think the programme is for audiences aged under 20,' said businessman Chen Yujie .

Programme organiser the Hunan Satellite TV Station had earned at least 2 million yuan from advertising and almost the same amount in text-message charges each round, the Tianfu Morning Post said.

Teng Jimeng from the department of English at Beijing Foreign Studies University said the unprecedented public involvement was a rare example of participatory democracy. 'The thousands of girls signing up for the competition reflects the desire of many Chinese people to pursue materialism,' Professor Teng said.

That desire was realised by the finalists in last year's competition. Their albums and advertisements can be seen in nearly every main shopping street in the country.

The Beijing Morning Post said that this year, the top 10 competitors would release their own compilations and go on a nationwide concert tour.

Liu Qing thinks Li Yuchun deserves the title.

'She is just my idol and I want to enjoy more of her performances. [The competitors] should not be blamed for becoming celebrities and benefiting from the fame.'