Hit TV show The Hero of Hanzi will air its second season on online video-sharing platform IQIYI and Henan Satellite Television on January 17.

The first season of the program, which invites people to take part in dictation challenges to test their knowledge of written Chinese, was a ratings success in 2013.

The second season will differ slightly by avoiding rarely used Chinese characters and focusing on those more commonly used. The competition's format and rules will also be revised, according to producers.

Despite going head-to-head against a slew of popular singing and dancing talent shows, The Hero of Hanzi focused on culture and brought people's attention back to the gradually vanishing written form of Chinese language.

It ranked among the top three domestic TV shows in last summer.