Youth appeal

A symposium was held earlier this month to gather members from the program's production group, cultural experts and critics to discuss the program's positive impact on the patriotic education of young people and the cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and the mainland.

Ho says the TV show also holds an appeal for an audience of 24 or under, enabling younger generations to know more about Cantopop music. Ho adds that the first time she got to collaborate with Hunan Satellite TV was when producing another TV show, titled Strictly Come Dancing, a decade ago.

And this time, she was impressed by the big strides that the production units from the mainland has made in audio effects, set placement, stage scenery and stage lighting over the past decade.

"It's a precious opportunity for us Hong Kong variety show producers to conduct exchanges with our counterparts in the mainland," she says. "We get to know how they deal with details in the production of a large-scale TV program and recognize how their narration perspectives differ from ours."

Singer Jerry Lamb Hiu-fung, who performed in the show, says he got to cooperate with bands and singers from the mainland to interpret Cantopop classics in a refreshing way, which helped to broaden his musical horizons.

"The program has set up a bridge for us musicians to conduct cultural and musical exchanges. Many more Hong Kong singers would like to share fine musical works with listeners from the Chinese mainland," he says.

Xiang Yunju, vice-chairman of the China Literature and Art Critics Association, says Cantopop also inspired people from the mainland to "better carry on" traditional Chinese culture. For instance, Hong Kong music makers used classic ancient poems in the creation of pop lyrics.