Chinese popular culture

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 27. Chapters: C-pop, Super Girl, Cantopop, Chinese rock, Mandopop, Super Boy, Shanzhai, Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, Li Jinhui, The Voice, New Talent Singing Awards, Taiwanese pop, Chinese Hip-Hop, Blossoming Flowers, Shidaiqu, Tuzki, Gangtai. Excerpt: Super Girl or Super Voice Girls (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Ch¿ojí N¿sh¿ng; literally "Super Female Voice") was an annual national singing contest in People's Republic of China for female contestants, organized by Hunan Satellite Television between 2004 and 2006. The show's official name was Mengniu Yoghurt Super Girl Contest until 2009 it is now known as BBK Music Phone Super Girl Contest, after the company that sponsored the series. It was generally described as the mainland Chinese version of Pop Idol and became one the most popular entertainment shows in the country. Despite Super Girl's major popularity and success, the show was heavily criticised by Liu Zhongde, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He essentially claimed Super Girl was poison for the youth. The program was relaunched in 2009. The Chinese title was changed to ¿¿¿¿ ("Kuàilè N¿sh¿ng, Happy Girls") though the English title remains unchanged (as Super Girl). Six finalists during a 2005 national round event in Changsha, Hunan. From left to right: host Li Xiang, contestants Lin Shuang, She Manni, Yi Hui, Zhang Liangying, Guo Huimin, Li Na, and host Wang Han.Partly inspired by the many spinoffs of the UK show Pop Idol, the competition was open to any female contestant regardless of her origin, appearance, or how she sings. The almost unrestricted audition sessions drew contestants of ages ranging from 4 to 89 years old. The 2005 season attracted more than 120,000 applicants during the preliminary selection rounds, held in the five provinces of Hunan, Sichuan, Guangdong, Henan and Zhejiang. Many applicants travelled long distances to take part in the competition hoping to become a star. Each contestant was allowed 30 seconds to perform in front of judges and find out if they were selected for the preliminary regional rounds. To prevent another overwhelming audition season, a minimum age of eighteen was later set during the 2006 season. Following