BEIJING (Reuters) - Entrepreneurial Chinese are to be given a chance to become CEO of their own company in a new reality show similar to U.S. hit "The Apprentice", starring tycoon Donald Trump, organisers said on Wednesday.

"Win in China", which will climax on state television in December, will reward one person with their own company with start-up capital of 10 million yuan (720 million pounds), while four runners up will get lesser amounts, China Central Television (CCTV) said.

The show symbolises China's embrace of market economics after decades of strict state planning. Entrepreneurs are now eligible for "model and advanced worker" status, an honour once reserved for proletarian employees of the Communist state sector.

But CCTV said the show promises to be more exciting than "The Apprentice", in which competitors fight to get a job with Trump and avoid him using his catchphrase "You're fired!"

"'Win in China' will be a much more dramatic and interactive programme since the audience will participate," CCTV said in a statement. "Chinese participants will also endure rigorous business tasks that test their tenacity to withstand hardship."

Reality television is relatively new but catching on quickly in China. Millions of people tuned in to watch "Super Girl", a singing showdown that clearly takes a page from the "Idol" concept and hoped to find the next Chinese pop star.

Chinese shows inspired by foreign hits are normally tamer than the originals, but such remakes and direct imports reveal the recent relaxing of Beijing's vice-like grip over the media.

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