Contestant Yang Chaoyue [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

3. "Fostered idol"

Thanks to the rise of social media platforms and a preference for younger stars in China over the past two to three years, "fostered idols", or yangcheng ouxiang in Chinese, have swept the country. The contestants Gao Qiuzi and Yang Feiyue are some examples of this type.

The Chinese word yangcheng means "to bring up," and this naturally makes fan engagement a key part of these idols' success.

Fans often witness the way these untrained teenage girls grow into real stars. If those idols are not good at singing or dancing, that's fine. All you have to do is work hard, as fans also can enjoy the thrill of growing up with their idols together.

Different from traditional stars who remain out of fans' reach, these "fostered idols" are known as idols that you can communicate with face to face.