NewA literal success: China's TV spelling bees enjoy surprise popularity
With audiences finding such educational programmes more entertaining than big-budget blockbusters, hopes are high it will help raise writing standards nationwide
China's television networks, catching on to the growing concern over deteriorating writing standards across the nation, have created a raft of spelling bee shows in the past few months, attracting a devoted fan base coming from diverse backgrounds.
Surprisingly, some viewers find the spelling contests more entertaining than other much more expensively made programmes.
Chinese Spellling Hero had a highly successful first season, climbing to the mainland's top 10 most popular shows last year amid cutthroat competition for television ratings, and it just started broadcasting its second season last week.
The show features student contestants who must write down the correct Chinese characters in front of the judges (a mix of celebrities and academics).
It also has other popular segments, such as when competitors share their life stories and demonstrate their other talents onstage. The competition is kept generally friendly, with the judges -- in concert with the hosts -- often trying their best to egg the contestants on and engage them in lively conversation.
The prizes are attractive: participants are awarded 500 yuan (HK$641) for each character they are able to write, and a total of 2,500 yuan if they manage to survive five rounds, with each stage getting progressively difficult and more challengers getting eliminated.