THE third season of popular Chinese singing contest “The Voice of China” will begin airing on Zhejiang Satellite TV starting Friday night.

    The weekly show is part of “The Voice” franchise and is based on a Dutch program called “The Voice of Holland.” The third season welcomes a new vocal coach, Taiwanese singer-songwriter Chyi Chin. Returning to the show are first-season coaches Na Ying and Yang Kun and second-season coach Wang Feng.

    The four coaches choose teams of contestants through a blind audition process, meaning they initially have their backs to the contestants. If two or more judges want the same singer (as happens frequently), the singer has the final choice of their coach. Then, each team of singers is mentored and developed by its respective coach. Finally, the contestants compete in later battles.

    Talent shows are very popular in China. Last year, the second season of “The Voice of China” attracted an average viewership of 4 percent of the total mainland TV audience, making it the most popular talent show of the year.(Cao Zhen)