[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

4 Reality show booms

China's variety shows, especially those whose stars are "tortured" verbally or physically, are very popular with small screen viewers.

Running Man, a large-scale outdoor-sports reality show that originated in South Korea, is hosted by seven stars who have a great sense of humor and tons of physical strength. With its peak rating of 5 percent－when even the most popular TV dramas struggle to cross 3－the show was adapted into a feature-length movie, which grossed an astonishing 439 million yuan.

The talk shows Jin Xing Time and U Can U Bibi, both hosted by China's transgendered artist Jin Xing, were huge sensations online for their showbiz satires and sharp commentary on social issues.

China's enthusiasm for reality shows has also attracted the attention of Europe. British explorer Bear Grylls cooperated for the first time with the Chinese to make a local adventure show, Survival Games, a 12-episode program. The show topped the topic charts on Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, for its controversial scenes featuring stars eating things like ox eyes and earthworms.