Aired by Ifeng.com, The “Super Tongue” Show Spurs Chinese Millennials to Fall For Eloquence
March 28 2019 - 8:00PM
Business Wire
One of China’s most popular television shows “Super Tongue,”
provided by Ifeng.com (NYSE: FENG) and Shenzhen TV, tests the
frontiers of professional debate and public interest.
At its debut in January, Hu Xijin, the outspoken editor-in-chief
of Chinese news outlet Global Times, told his traumatic memories of
being a war correspondent in Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.
The soup on his lunch table bounced up when fire started just
around the corner, and when bullets skimmed past the head, “it was
Death that was rubbing your ears,” he said.
Together with three other brilliant lecturers, Hu mentored 48
young candidates of diverse backgrounds, on striving for the debate
champion, to showcase the charm of being quick-minded and
smooth-tongued.
Among them were not only professional debaters, but also
lawyers, scholars, anchors and even singers. As the only debater
without a Chinese root, Italian boy Mattia Romeo has impressed the
audience with his verbal proficiency.
During each debate, they argued about a topic that addresses
certain social conflicts and answers Chinese youth’s anxiety. For
example, one question was raised as which input can help alleviate
poverty more efficiently, educational or industrial.
Those topics were deliberately selected based on big data of
public opinions online, which aimed at tracking the most discussed
issues and initiating a national brainstorm. The show has achieved
massive attention. The hashtag #SuperTongue has attracted more than
210 million views on Weibo.
It has also ridden the tide of debate popularity in recent
years. A similar show, Qipa Shuo, or U Can U Bibi in English, set a
good precedent that has been especially liked by China’s
millennials.
However, the latest season of Qipa Shuo has been accused by some
of being too entertaining and superficial. “Super Tongue,” catching
up with the debating spirit, has been trying to achieve a more
serious and international model.
“This debate today may overturn the traditional debate mode and
pushes it to a new era,” commented Zhang Zhaozhong, a retired navy
general who was another mentor of the show.
Established in 1998, Phoenix New Media Limited (NYSE: FENG) is a
leading new media company with an integrated platform of websites,
mobile apps and video channels.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190328005001/en/
Ifeng.comEvelyn ZhengPit@ifeng.com
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