- (Financial Times) — Super Girl, China’s version of Pop Idol, is to be dropped from television schedules in spite of attracting 400m viewers at its peak, following government pressure on a programme that some officials saw as subversive because the audience voting too closely represented Western-style democracy.
Li Hao, deputy editor and spokesman of Hunan Satellite TV, which broadcast the show, was quoted as saying the changes were under disciplinary measures by the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television, and the broadcaster would soon launch new programming on morals, security and housework instead.
At first, this came as a bit of a surprise to me. From the time the first China-made dramas appeared on our local TV to those that I see in China today, it’s impossible to deny that China has progressed in leaps and bounds. I still remember the time my uncle visited us in Singapore during the 80s. I used to see him smile and shake his head when he watched our retarded Chinese game shows on TV. Even back then, China had more intelligent programmes than we did. And not long after I graduated, we had a 金童玉女 matchmaking programme on the Chinese channel. Again, many of the participants were an embarrassment to the country. I still wonder if that was the actual reason why I was reluctant to welcome my uncle to Singapore during that time. Less than 2 years ago when I was in Guilin and I tuned in to their matchmaking shows, I was stunned by the wit and eloquence of their nurses, car mechanics, chefs and librarians and waitresses.
And there you have Yang Lei. A primary school teacher. If half of their primary school teachers were so eloquent and talented, what can you expect from the entire population? The total number of votes counted on all the seasons of Super Girl was 1.2 billion! To the producers, that was no doubt cause for celebration. But, like a lot of high profile, “outstanding” projects and businesses around us, Super Girl was a bit too successful for its own good. Numbers like that may not be enough to make Mao Zedong sit up, but they are enough to give China’s living leaders some sleepless nights. In a way, Yang Lei herself has sabotaged the programme. How?
“Everyone has the right to vote”? “I’ll support who I like”? “So all of a sudden, everyone had this power to support whomever they wanted.”
As we say in Singapore: liao. Like we say in the army – too outstanding. But to sum it all up, Yang Lei had to put the last nail on the coffin.
America the Beautiful? That’s just like admiring Kim Hyun Joong’s or Bae Yong Joon’s good looks in front of a boyfriend like Patrick Tse. Sorry if I make anybody puke, but I can’t resist the temptation to share this highly informative picture on active aging.
Everybody wants success. Sometimes, success follows fame. Sometimes fame follows success. Whatever the order, fame is not necessarily a good thing in a tightly regulated, highly competitive environment. China’s leaders may be too busy worrying about the summer floods than to watch Super Girl, but even if they don’t watch the programme, producers of less successful programmes may feel inclined to report the potential social threats.
Social Darwinism doesn’t always select the fittest. Sometimes, it selects the weakest.
