Playing to the crowd

At a venue in Hangzhou's Xiaoshan district, ahead of the recent finals of talent show Produce 101, thousands of excited fans jostle each other as they wave banners and glow sticks, chanting the names of their favorite contestants.

Produce 101 is a South Korean reality TV franchise that has expanded to China and two other Asian countries.

Airing on a video platform of Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd, the show aims to select 11 winners from the original 101 contestants to form an all-female band, based on the number of public votes they receive.

However, the venue falls silent when a host asks if any male fans would dare to go up on stage and dance to the show's theme song during the warmup to the show.

But as soon as the host offers 50 free votes for a dancer's idol of choice, Yang Xiaoming, a follower of struggling contestant Qiang Dongyue, is quick to raise his hand.

"I wanted to win the votes for Qiang to prove that she has the support of real fans," Yang later told China Daily.

A keen dancer, he spent three days learning the moves for the show's theme song.

"Although I felt nervous, the cheers from the audience were infectious," says the 19-year-old.

Since food and drinks were banned at the venue, Yang had spent the day without a drink or a bite. He didn't realize how tired he was until he returned to the hotel where Qiang was staying, in the hope of catching another glimpse of her. All he had that day was a "standing ticket".

Talent shows like these are not just about the onstage battle between performers-the rivalry remains fierce offstage among fans alike.

The program's producer Ma Yankun says unlike conventional entertainers, the popular contestants on the show always have huge following: "Where there's an idol, there are always fans."