【英语中国】《好声音》何以成为中国最佳真人秀？

U.S. fans of the hit talent show 'The Voice' may take for granted that its judges sit with their backs to performers, choosing winners purely on the basis of their voices. But in China, where television and much of society is frequently biased toward the well-connected, the backward chairs are an important clue about why 'The Voice' has become China's most popular show.

When the Chinese version of 'The Voice' appeared last year, many viewers expected it to be another typical Chinese variety show. TV networks in China are saturated with reality-show competitions, from dating to job hunting and cooking, which tend to be predetermined, often with the best-looking contestants destined to win.

Yuan Yawei, a 29-year-old self-taught singer from China's central Hunan province, originally turned up her nose when show organizers encouraged her to try out for 'The Voice.' 'I just rejected it,' said Ms. Yuan. 'It's too hard to be yourself on Chinese TV.'

But unlike other Chinese reality shows, 'The Voice of China,' now in its second season, has adhered more closely to its original Dutch format. Critics say it's one of the country's only reality shows with an element of surprise, in which every detail isn't already mapped out. Ms. Yuan finally decided to participate in the show after discovering it would be a true reality show. (She made it to the final rounds before being eliminated in the 11th episode.)

'Directors were actually willing to let me sing in my style,' said Ms. Yuan, noting that other Chinese TV shows insisted that she avoid jazz and blues, styles that define her but aren't popular in China.

'The Voice of China' defies long-held stereotypes that Chinese television is boring and performers are shy and reserved, says Edward Bell, head of strategy and planning at the Shanghai arm of advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. Judges like pop singer Zhang Huimei, who goes by A-mei, scream with excitement and cry when team members are let go, Mr. Bell says. Yu Chengqing, an actor also known by the name of Harlem Yu, pours out emotions from elation to frustration.

Producers of 'The Voice of China' attribute the show's popularity to its unbiased contestant selections. The show has an average viewership of more than seven million per episode on television and more than 70 million viewers online, according to data from media firm GroupM and online market research firm iResearch Consulting Group. 'Almost every other show in China looks at someone's appearance to judge their talent,' says 'Voice of China' director Zhang Weiqi. 'This isn't one of those shows.'

Contestants such as Lin Yuqun, who sports thick, plastic-framed glasses and a bowl haircut and is referred to as 'Little Fatty' on the show, progressed well into the second season, belting out ballads that sounded like they came from singers Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston. Tian Yuan, who has one side of her head shaved, gained favor after singing a soulful version of the Police's 'Every Breath You Take.'

'Remember that this is the country that encouraged a lip-syncing girl to perform at the Olympic ceremony,' says Mr. Bell, referring to an incident in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, when a young girl was chosen to lip sync over a track of Yang Peiyi, another child who had a beautiful voice but was shunned because she had crooked teeth.

Viewers like Shao Peixun see the show as the kind of hope that young audiences need in a society where success has famously been determined by political connections. 'We are all born with different backgrounds and resources, none of which contribute to equality,' said Mr. Shao, a 29-year-old writer in Beijing. 'That's why the idea of fairness is so appealing,' he said, even if on a TV show.

In its second season, the show has been criticized for accepting applicants who already have made inroads in the music industry. One has sung the theme song to a popular TV show, while another is in a band that's gained popularity with Chinese-Korean pop fans.

Mr. Zhang said the show is truly blind to judging. He said 'The Voice of China' has been highly influential in Chinese society, spurring other television networks to increase investments in higher-quality content. Chinese audiences are also broadening their musical taste beyond pop, to genres like rhythm and blues, introduced on the show, he said.

For Ms. Yuan, the show opened a door to a record deal and more bookings at clubs where she can sing in her experimental style. 'It's made a big difference,' she said.

She recalled that after the first few episodes aired, complete strangers asked for her autograph. 'Some contestants like me have never had a chance to make it this big,' Ms. Yuan said.

颇受欢迎的真人秀节目《好声音》(The Voice)的美国粉丝或许理所当然地认为，评委就应该背对表演者而坐，仅凭声音选择获胜者。但在中国，电视和社会里的大多数人往往会偏向那些有关系的人，因此这些背对歌手的椅子就成了了解《好声音》为何会成为中国最具人气节目的一个重要线索。

Voice of China/Talpa《中国好声音》第一季冠军梁博。去年中国版《好声音》开播时，很多观众都以为这不过是具有中国特色的另一个综艺节目而已。中国电视台充斥着各种各样的真人秀节目，内容从相亲到求职再到厨艺应有尽有。这些节目一般都是提前安排好的，结果常常是那些相貌最佳的参赛者注定胜出。

29岁的袁娅维是一名自学成才的湖南歌手。最初节目主办方鼓励她参加《好声音》时，她对此嗤之以鼻。袁娅维说：我当时就拒绝了，在中国的电视上很难做自己。

但与中国其它真人秀节目不同的是，正在播出第二季的《中国好声音》与其荷兰原版节目保持了高度一致性。评论人士说，这是中国仅有的几个带有意外色彩的真人秀节目之一，这些节目并不是提前将每个细节都计划好。袁娅维发现这是个真正意义上的真人秀节目后，最终决定参赛。（她进入到最后几轮比赛，最后止步于第11期节目。）

袁娅维说，导演居然愿意让我按自己的风格来唱歌。她指出，中国其它电视节目坚持让她不要唱爵士和蓝调。爵士和蓝调是她的风格，但在中国这两种音乐不是很流行。

广告公司奥美(Ogilvy & Mather)的上海策略总监钟桥轩(Edward Bell)说，《中国好声音》摆脱了长期以来中国电视节目给外界留下的枯燥无聊、表演者害羞内向的老套印象。钟桥轩说，流行歌手张惠妹（阿Mei）等评委会兴奋地尖叫，在团队成员离开时又会落泪。庾澄庆（哈林）无论是兴高采烈还是失望受挫都不吝情绪的流露。

《中国好声音》的制作方认为，这个节目之所以受到欢迎，应该归功于公平的选拔机制。根据媒体公司群邑集团(GroupM)和在线市场研究公司艾瑞咨询集团(IResearch Consulting Group)的数据，该节目每集在电视上的平均收看人数超过了700万，在线观看人数超过7,000万。《中国好声音》第一季杨坤组学员张玮琪说，中国几乎所有别的节目都会通过一个人的外表去判断他们的实力，这个节目与众不同。

像林育群等戴塑料框眼镜、梳西瓜皮发型的选手在节目中被称为“小胖子”，而且在第二季表现不俗，他们唱歌的声音听起来就像是玛莉亚•凯莉(Mariah Carey)或是惠特尼•休斯顿(Whitney Houston)。剃掉了半边头发的田园深情演绎了警察乐队的《你的每一次呼吸》(Every Breath You Take)，赢得了评委的好感。

钟桥轩说，要知道，这个国家曾经鼓励一个小女孩在奥运会开幕式上唱歌的时候对口型。他指的是发生在2008年北京奥运会开幕式演出上的一个事件，当时一个小女孩被选出来“假唱”，而真正唱歌的是杨沛宜。杨沛宜的声音很好听，但因为牙长得不整齐而没有出场。

对邵培勋等观众来说，在这个“成功主要受政治关系主导”观念盛行的社会里，这个节目为年轻的观众们提供了某种希望。这位居住在北京、现年29岁的作家说，我们出生的时候，背景和资源都不一样，都不是公平分配的。他说，这就是为什么公平的观念这么有吸引力，即便是在一档电视节目上。

在第二季中，节目受到了一些批评，有人说有些选手已经在音乐界闯出了一些名堂。其中一名选手还为某广受欢迎的电视剧唱了主题曲，而另外一名选手参加了一个乐队，这个乐队在中韩流行音乐粉丝中相当受欢迎。

张玮琪说，这个节目真的是盲评的。他说，《中国好声音》在中国社会中已经拥有很大的影响力，刺激其他电视台也加大了投资，制作高品质的内容；中国观众也扩展了对音乐的品味，不光听流行音乐，还听这个节目里出现的节奏布鲁斯等类型的音乐。

对袁娅维来说，这个节目为她打开了一扇门，不仅签下了录音合约，还有更多的俱乐部请她去唱歌，在那里她可以唱自己实验风格的歌曲。她说，我的生活大大地不同了。

她回忆说，最初几集播出之后，一些她根本不认识的陌生人都会找她要签名。她说，有些像我这样的选手从来都没有这样的一个机会，让自己这么出名。