Wang Yuanyuan

    cheekywang@hotmail.com

    WHILE talent shows tried their best to grab TV audiences’ attention in recent months, two Chinese-character writing contests emerged as unexpected favorites among this year’s summer lineups.

    “Hero of Chinese Characters” on Henan Satellite Television, which ran from July 11 to Aug. 30, was one of the top 10 TV shows over the summer in terms of popularity, and “Chinese Characters Dictation Competition,” a China Central Television (CCTV) program, has topped ratings lists since it premiered Aug. 2.

    The two programs are very similar in form, inviting participants 7 to 17 years old to compete in writing Chinese characters. Well-known Chinese language experts and celebrities are invited to be judges and evaluate performances.

    “‘Hero of Chinese Characters’ is a cultural program. We made the program because we wanted to do something different from singing competitions,” said Ma Dong, the show’s producer. “Secondly, we have special feelings about Chinese characters, which made us very excited about making the program.”

    Guan Zhengwen, producer of “Chinese Characters Dictation Competition,” expressed similar feelings.

    “Chinese characters should be valued by all Chinese people and our society. What our programs can do is just a little part of the promotion of Chinese culture,” Guan said. “We enjoy seeing our contribution to promoting and passing on Chinese culture.”

    The programs have drawn wide attention online, as they’ve reminded many people of how many characters they’ve forgotten about in the digital era.

    “Was my Chinese taught by gym teachers?” some netizens joked.

    “With the fast development of digital products such as mobile phones, computers and iPads, we have much fewer chances to write Chinese characters. I often have problems writing even some simple and common characters when I have to write with pens,” wrote a netizen called Shifangfei. “This is not good. We should spend more time writing with our hands and get to know more about our Chinese characters.”

    Li Bo, a professor in the School of Chinese Language and Culture at Nanjing Normal University, also spoke highly of the programs. Li has been a guest on “Chinese Characters Dictation Competition.”

    “When I go to universities in the United States, I often see students having spelling competitions. Americans have known of the importance of languages and language culture to a country’s development for a long time,” Li said. “In fact, language has played a significant role in the development of human civilization. The disappearance of a culture or a civilization starts with the disappearance of its language. As an academician, I am very anxious about the current situation in China. I think that such cultural entertainment programs can help raise people’s awareness of protecting and passing on our characters.”

    Some audience members have said some of the characters used in the competitions were too esoteric, but producers said they had to make the shows challenging because of participants’ strong abilities.

    “I think it’s okay. After all, it is a competition. With the development of the competition, there should be some difficult tasks for contestants,” said Wu Jing, a professor in the School of Journalism & Communication at Peking University.

    Wu said the popularity of the two programs is a positive sign for the country’s television industry.

    “They are very successful in exploring the cultural and education aspects of entertainment programs, letting people learn things while having fun together,” he said. “High viewership should not be the only standard for making programs on public television, and more efforts should be made by television professionals to entertain and educate audiences.”