BEIJING - Pop star Han Hong became the first woman to win Hunan TV's I Am A Singer last Friday, as two male stars, Sun Nan and Eason Chan, stole her thunder.

Chinese singer Sun dropped a bombshell midway through the finale that aired live in China when he said would drop out of the contest, said NetEase website.

The finale consisted of two rounds, where seven finalists each sang a duet with a guest star before six of them advanced to the last round and gave a solo performance.

Sun, 46, interrupted the announcement of the results of the first round to say he would give up the last round so that his "younger brothers and younger sisters" on the show could stay in the competition.

When Chinese singer Han, 43, was announced as the winner later, she thanked Sun for letting her win, said Sina website.

Han, who sang Ten Years with Hong Kong star Chan in the first round, also handed him her trophy after saying "three quarters of the award" belonged to him.

The contest for professional singers has been a hit in China and beyond since its first season featuring stars such as Taiwan's Chyi Chin and Aska Yang. The third and latest season started with Singapore's Kit Chan in the mix, before she was eliminted in two episodes.

During last Friday's finale, big names such as David Tao and Cui Jian joined the finalists for duets.