He Jiong and Du Haitao are the hosts. The two men had already gained a wide fan base while working on Happy Camp.

Time is of the essence. Contestants, from all ages and professions, have to correctly name the Chinese character in just eight seconds.

"Couriers, astronauts, office workers-we welcome people with different backgrounds to get involved in the show, not just students," says Wang.

Some viewers watch the show hoping to learn. Tian Qian, a 36-year-old Beijing-based mother, is one of them.

She accompanied her 6-year-old son to watch it this summer. She wanted her son to learn more about the language in an entertaining way.

"I had my son studying English when he was 3," says Tian, an English teacher.

"However, when I looked at the Chinese characters and idioms, I realized that I literally lacked sufficient knowledge about the Chinese language."

But there is no doubt that the star attraction of the show, for many viewers, is, well, the stars.

Yu Kang, 28, from Changsha, Hunan province, is such a fan.

"I first watched the Magic Chinese Characters because my hero He Jiong is in it," she admits.

"But to my surprise, I learned a lot from the show.

"I realized I did not know the origins of many of the Chinese characters and idioms, even though they are used in our daily lives. It's fun and educational."

The challenge for Bai Yue, one of the show's directors, was to get the right mix of education and entertainment.