Fans of the ongoing young singers' competition on China Central Television (CCTV) have had a field day over the past week, as they have a chance to enjoy some of the best singers the nation has to offer.

Officially called CCTV Young Singers' Competition, the contest is currently being broadcast live every day at primetime on CCTV-3.

Music fans also have the opportunity to hear familiar melodies and pick up new tunes as the contestants sing in a host of styles, such as original ethnic minority melodies, pop music, refined folk songs and classical Western bel canto.

The contestants sing and get scored by a jury composed of prominent singers, musicologists and music professors. As well as having to demonstrate their basic musical skills, they have to display their knowledge in other fields, such as literature, history and geography.

No wonder the CCTV contest is considered much more difficult than any international singing competition.

Since last week, the singers have faced an even tougher challenge. They have been required to give a one-minute speech on a set topic, for example, "the singer who has influenced me the most," "on the wings of songs," or simply "my hometown."

In fact, many of the singers have failed to express themselves, not because they did not know how to talk. Quite a few gave a poetic speech, using parallel sentences or rhythmic phrases. Their words were embellished with many adjectives or adverbs, and their tones rose and fell.

However, this failed to impress, because it was simply empty talk, according to the two judges on the panel.

The poetic tones and literary embellishments neither narrated any personal stories nor expressed true feelings from the bottom of the singers' hearts.

Moreover, even the viewers could tell that some singers, coming from different parts of the country, used the same jargon or cliches, as if they'd memorized something they'd prepared together.

After a programme host tried giving a one-minute speech on "my hometown," Yu Qiuyu, one of the judges, pointed out that even the host didn't do it well because she talked more like a tour guide, without giving her own individual feelings about the city.

The only singer who got full marks for his speech was a tenor. He told of how his fate as a migrant worker from a small village changed "on the wings of songs" when he got a chance to train as a singer.

I am a little critical of forcing these singers to go through tests of general knowledge. There are very few people in the world who are capable of accumulating an encyclopaedic knowledge. So it was only natural for the singers to fail to answer some of the questions. In fact, even the judges on the panel made errors when they tried to delve deeper into the subjects.

However, I want to applaud the two judges for their refusal to accept this empty talk.

Empty talk is very prevalent in our society. Just listen to how our children talk in front of cameras, or during speaking competitions. Seldom do we hear them share their real life stories and real feelings.

While in pursuit of correctness and perfection, many of us, from our childhood on, have used fashionable phrases or jargon. But these are often just empty phrases that cannot be translated into concrete ideas or specific actions.

I believe that a society that allows those who use empty jargon to progress will not become innovative and flourish.

That is why I hope that their crusade against empty talk during this singing competition will spread further into schools and society so that the public will value honesty and individuality, not fashionable or even poetic jargon.

Email: lixing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/20/2006 page4)