Providing budding actors with a sense of direction

Chen says: "We are here to deliver a serious approach toward acting." He adds that the show, with its classification effort, helps actors and actresses realize what a qualified, good performer is and aim toward that goal.

Yang Zhigang, a 43-year-old actor who has starred in around 30 TV series since 2003, was highly approved by producers on the show and initially he got into the top class. However, after his onstage performances, his stereotypical expression of characters' feelings became a target for criticism.

Yang confesses that the production units he has been a part of usually finish shooting six pages of script each day. Time was of the essence and directors didn't have enough of it to guide the cast as much as they would have liked.

This show rectifies that. "It's been a long time since I last got such patient, systematic guidance from my directors," says Yang. "I really enjoy rehearsals these days.

"In this time, with its glut of frivolous pleasures, we gathered here simply to discuss how to act. That's a rare luxury for me."