"The Voice upholds the principle of selecting really good voices. We don't show any celebrity flirting, or vulgar content," Xia Chen'an, chief executive of Zhejiang TV, told Xinhua earlier this month.

Even the hard to please state broadcasting watchdog praised the show. Gao Changli, an official with the SARFT, said right after its debut: "There were so many talent and music shows; why were they not hot? 'The Voice' is hot because the coaches are top rank and so were the people who came to audition. This program pays attention to both quality and reality."

Jin Lei later summarized why the show is so fascinating, "China's top singing and recording artists can have a dialogue with average people here, but at the same time they don't know what they are going to get."

"This is like the Roman Colosseum, people have to fight to change their life. This is where the dramatic tension lies in," he added.