Sanxian, a Chinese three-stringed lute, which is often used as the obbligato for storytelling. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Some also believe that the show is trying to shoehorn too many elements into the framework of guofeng, which results in loss of focus.

Wang responds: "There's only one criterion for the selection of talented people on this stage: Whether they can attract the young audiences' interest to revive our traditional culture."

Whether intentional or not, the production has shone a light on some issues faced by all proponents of guofeng culture.

Liu Muzi, a contestant on the show, is a female singer, who released a solo recording with her band in 2012. However, the all-girl group disbanded after a couple of years due to a lack of popularity－a problem shared with many similar guofeng bands in China.

"It's my first time standing on a stage alone," Liu says. "I want to perform for my band and have our music genre revived through this show."

Huo also points out on the show that today's guofeng music is often dominated by recycled melodies and flamboyant, but superficial, lyrics－something he saw fit to penalize popular singer Cai Yisheng for, rating him only "silver" for his performance.

However, Guofeng Man weighed in to suggest that the rating be improved. "He (Cai) cannot be personally blamed for something that has become commonplace within the guofeng community," he says.

"More encouragement is needed, and the purpose of this show is to find ways to rectify such things."

That just begs the question－will it be able to?