Chinese netizens are mourning the demise of a popular online talk show that dared to tackle social and political topics in a media landscape dominated by vapid soap operas, staid costume dramas and webcam girls.
The final episode of “Xiaosong-pedia", hosted by songwriter, music producer and film director Gao Xiaosong, was aired on Friday on iQiyi, the online video platform owned by internet search group Baidu. The show received more than 900m views over its two-and-a-half year run.
Mr Gao, who also serves as chairman of Alibaba Group's media division, announced the end of his show on December 18 without stating a reason. But he had previously expressed increasing frustration with censorship of the show's content — some of it commercial rather than political.