Partly inspired by the many spinoffs of the UK show Pop Idol, the competition was open to any male contestant regardless of his origin, appearance, or how he sings.

[1] Many applicants travelled long distances to take part in the competition hoping to become the next pop star in China and elsewhere.

The regional preliminaries are followed by a weekly broadcast knockout competition held in Changsha, Hunan province.

One of the main factors contributing to the show's popularity was that viewers are able to participate in the judging process by sending text messages with their mobile phones to vote for their favorite contestants.

This was, according to Jim Yardley of International Herald Tribune, considered as one of the largest "democratic" voting exercises in mainland China.