City Beat | Poetry star shines light on how to appreciate Chinese culture

Politics continues to be the dominant theme in Hong Kong as the leadership race heads into its final three weeks in a three-horse showdown. But across the border, around the nation, the focus has been on Wu Yizhu (武亦姝), a 16-year-old girl who became the latest wang hong, or internet celebrity, thanks to the popular variety show Chinese Poetry Conference produced by state broadcaster CCTV.

The slim, mild-mannered high school girl from Shanghai beat a PhD candidate from Beijing University to win the final championship of the season. It was a win-win for both CCTV and the girl.

Overnight, Wu shot to national fame through the poetry recital contest. Video clips of her reciting classic poems went viral when the programme became an unexpected hit. And suddenly, learning Chinese classical literature has become a hot topic among schools, parents, students and academics, with many believing it can enhance the younger generation’s understanding of their culture and history.

However, the Wu phenomenon has also triggered debate on what a “girl of talent” means. While Wu’s admirers praise her broad knowledge of the classic works, there are also those who question whether merely memorising words written hundreds, even thousands, of years ago can help inspire innovative and critical thinking among today’s youth.

Whatever the arguments may be, the learning of Chinese culture is the talk of the country, and for CCTV – often the target of public criticism for some of its very “official” kind of programming – this particular poetry conference provided a ratings boost by capturing the nation’s attention.

Interestingly, this national sensation has not caused even a ripple in Hong Kong so far. It may be because CCTV has never been popular in town – it’s just one of the hundreds of pay TV channels available here. Or could it be down to the different audience tastes here?