Revival idol

However, they are also presented in unconventional ways with contemporary interpretations－in pop songs, hip-hop, ballads and dancing, among others.

Wang adds that The Chinese Youth is designed to create an open platform for different genres as long as they are creative enough to properly explain the traditions, as guofeng is a huge theme of the show.

Consequently, the show stretches the definition of the word to its limits by including competitors from non-Han ethnic groups from around the country to share their own cultures.

A student from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region used ethnic dance to depict the history of the ancient Silk Road during the Tang Dynasty. Another student from Guizhou province displayed traditions of Miao ethnic group with a song.

In each competition, contestants will be given a rating－gold, silver or bronze, which will go toward choosing a champion. The results of public polls are also to be taken in consideration during judgment.

This raises the question: How to judge contestants presenting a wide variety of performances?

Unlike other shows in the genre, there is no senior artist judging the performers. Instead, there are three guests marking the contest-ants and giving an initial rating. They are not called judges but rather, "conveners of guofeng".

Huo Zun, who's also known as Henry Huo overseas, is a singer who is well-known for his songs like Rolled-up Pearl Curtain that are based on ancient Chinese literature. Often borrowing vocal skills from Peking Opera, the 28-year-old won the category for Best Chinese Artist at the 2017 MTV European Music Awards in London.

The other two conveners are 24-year-old actress Ju Jingyi, who's known for her numerous roles in TV shows about ancient China, and 26-year-old Zhang Yunlei, who's a new-generation performer of xiangsheng, or cross-talk, a Chinese comedic art form.