Question: What’s the latest mobile fad to seize China? Answer: Real-time quiz apps

Chinese people are accustomed to the sight of attractive, doe-eyed young broadcasters singing and dancing for tips on their smartphone screens. For these internet “stars” the financial rewards have been vast.

But now it seems the big money in China’s live-streaming industry is shifting, as a competition based largely on looks and questionable talent gives way to a battle of brainpower.

Real-time quiz apps have become the latest overnight hit in the country’s cyberspace, with billions of yuan in cash prizes awarded to the smartest smartphone users.

Adopting the same format as the hugely popular HQ Trivia, which debuted in the United States in August, dozens of the fast-paced, TV-style live game show apps have popped up in the mainland since the beginning of the year.

Their aim is simple: to get as many users as possible hooked amid the fierce competition to grab the attention of China’s more than 700 million mobile internet users. And the bait is equally simple: money – up to 5 million yuan (US$782,100) for a 30-minute quiz show consisting of 12 questions.

Anyone with a smartphone can download one of the now-ubiquitous quiz apps for free and start testing their grey matter.

The general knowledge competitions, hosted by a real quizmaster, have a set start time, no entry fee and unlimited spaces for contestants. A single quiz show has already been known to attract as many as 4 million users online at the same time.