A classical rendition

In the auditorium, tears well up in Jim Rogers' eyes during the performance, despite the fact that the 77-year-old hardly understands any of the language, according to his daughter Bee.

"Chinese is the key to the future," he says, standing on the stage, adding that his best investment was letting his two daughters learn Chinese.

In the TV show, which adopted a format to promote Chinese literature, modern melodies are added to chapters from classic texts and poems-mostly from ancient times-to showcase the beauty of the language.

"Ancient Chinese poems and other literary classics not only provide Chinese people with spiritual support," says Kang Zhen, a professor from Beijing Normal University and a guest commentator on the show. "They also play a key role in human civilization.

"Thanks to learning the classics, we can see the two girls are 'thinking' in Chinese when they speak the language," he says. "The pair showed the significance of mutual learning among different cultures."

The new season of Everlasting Classics returned to the screen on Jan 28, with all 12 episodes being aired on CCTV's Channel One.