Popularity of TV talent shows a boon for Chinese character learning
 |
|
Contestants pit their character-learning skills against one another in the TV show Idioms Congress Photo: Courtesy of CCTV
|
Contestants pit their character-learning skills against one another in the TV show Idioms Congress Photo: Courtesy of CCTV
One of the world's oldest living languages is facing a threat unlike anything it has encountered in its thousands of years of history. Like any language, Chinese has evolved throughout history - whether it was the decision to simplify Chinese characters or the rise of popular Internet phrases, the 20th century in particular has seen a tide of changes sweep the language. But now an unexpected challenge has come calling - lack of usage.
Although they are part of the roots of Chinese culture, Chinese characters and idioms face the dilemma of being overlooked by modern people. Once they've graduated from high school and relieved of the taxing burden of handwriting homework, most students may seldom consciously try to memorize or practice writing Chinese characters or use idioms (except for those majoring or working in related disciplines).
Nowadays, it's not uncommon to pick up a pen only to find oneself unable to write a character - practically a normal social phenomenon now, excused by the fact that "we are in a digital era" - threatening a rift in the cultural consistency of the country. The question is now being asked: How can people maintain their interest in these traditional characters and idioms? The answer may come from an unlikely source - television.
Popular talent shows
Since a craze for talent shows first swept the country in 2005, with Hunan satellite TV's broadcast of Super Girls (a female singing competition), reality and talent competitions have become the go-to formula for TV producers looking for an easy hit, spreading to different types from stage performance to outdoor parenting.
Jumping on this trend, talent shows about spelling Chinese characters and idioms have appeared during the past years. This Sunday saw the second season of Dictation Assembly of Chinese Characters, a name that can trigger many people's memories about their elementary and middle-school period, debut on national screens. Produced by CCTV (China Central Television) and premiering in August last year, the first season has proved something of a hit among young audiences. With contestants drawn from Chinese middle schools across the country, Dictation Assembly aroused their enthusiasm as different levels of contests were held across the country.
Dictation Assembly is aiming to achieve the same longevity as the decades-old American show Spelling Bee, with producers making adjustments to each season according to the feedback of audiences.
Criticism that the program has put too much focus on the contestants' spelling ability, to the detriment of their understanding of those Chinese characters, has been well received: now a new round tests knowledge of those characters' origins and cultural evolution.
And Dictation Assembly is not the only program to focus on characters. The online Chinese Spelling Hero a co-production from iqiyi.com and Henan TV, premiered in 2013 and broadcast a second season earlier this year. Although smaller in scale compared to its CCTV counterpart, Spelling Hero has still garnered acclaim for the cultural take delivered by contestants and guests.
We Recommend:
Print
Save