Getting in on the act

A new kind of reality show that dispenses with judges and focuses on indie acts is providing the soundtrack of the summer, Chen Nan reports.

When Kong Yichan and his childhood friend Wei Wei decided to form a band in middle school, they aspired to release an album and launch a nationwide tour. For the two young men, who were born and raised in Liuzhou city, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, it seemed like an ambitious, if not distant, dream.

But it didn't take long for them to realize their goal with the release of their self-titled debut album, Life Journey, in 2008.