Well versed

He holds all of the finalists in high regard, noting that he believes they are all at the same high level. It's the skill of ability to answer under stress and the psychological state of the contestant that decides the winner.

"The previous two times I might have been too confident and I lost because of impatience, which makes me realize that there are many strong competitors, especially the younger ones. This time I told myself to calm down and try not to make any mistakes," Peng says.

Before the final, Peng asked advice from his friend Chen Geng, the season four champion. Chen is also the only competitor to have participated four consecutive times, before finally winning last year.

"Chen told me to not think of it as a final, but just a normal challenge so that I wouldn't feel too nervous," Peng recalls.

Bao Ge, one of the directors of the show, noticed Peng's nervousness. "He said he was starving during the final, which may be caused by the nerves," Bao says.

Bao was impressed by Peng's attitude and hard work during the competition. "Whether on the way to or from the studio, or resting in the winner's room－a special area for the victor of each episode to prepare for the next round－h(huán)e was always on his laptop," Bao says.

"And he was not keeping the materials to himself. When waiting for the recording to start, he would help the young competitors and they would prepare for the competition together," Bao recalls.

Peng enjoyed communicating with the other contestants, and he is glad to see so many younger poetry aficionados popping up.

"That might be because the show has encouraged more elementary and middle school students to learn about Chinese poetry, which is a good sign," Peng says.