The just-concluded "Chinese Poetry Competition" television show has rekindled Chinese people's interest in classical Chinese poetry. A recent survey suggests that most Chinese people still believe it essentially important to cultivate interest in the subject.

China Youth Daily recently conducted a poll of 2,000 people aged between 18 and 35, which showed that 18.5 percent often read or study classical poetry, 70 percent believed an interest in classical poetry should be fostered in society, and 75.5 percent thought classical poetry education should be strengthened.

Of the respondents, 51.2 and 48.8 percent of the respondents were male and female respectively, and 30 percent were from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Shenzhen. Another 16.4 percent came from other first-tier cities, while 32.7 percent came from second-tier cities and 16.3 percent were from third- and fourth-tier cities; the remainder were from rural areas.

"Classical poetry has become increasingly interesting [to me] as time passes. I can recite simple lines [taught] in primary and middle school," a bank clerk born in the 1990s said.

A total of 59.8 percent of those polled said the popularity of internet culture has affected the popular perception of classical poetry.

"Understanding the meaning of poetry is different from using it in real life because our language environment has changed, which has made it hard to popularize classical poetry. Moreover, internet slang is on the rise," one respondent explained.