China Media Group (CMG) aired a gala on its multiple channels and platforms on Saturday to celebrate the Qixi Festival, referred to as Chinese Valentine's Day, wowing audience with Chinese romantic elements.
The Qixi Festival falls on every 7th day of the 7th month according to the Chinese lunar calendar. It celebrates the legend of the annual meeting between the mythological figures of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. The festival fell on Aug 10 this year.
The main stage of the gala was set up in Yunxi County of central China's Hubei Province, the birthplace of the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.
With the application of AI technologies, seven ancient trees in seven Chinese cities were personified to convey their good wishes at the gala, and listen to stories of love, and talk to lovers through a big speaking trumpet.
The gala also staged a show of Qixi customs accompanied with a song at the beginning.
The gala was aired on CMG's TV channels including CCTV-1, CCTV-3, and CCTV-15, and is available on CMG's official website, new media platforms such as CCTV news app and Yangshipin app, as well as radio programs.
CMG airs gala to celebrate Qixi Festival
CMG airs gala to celebrate Qixi Festival
The European Central Bank (ECB) announced on Thursday that it would slash key interest rates by 25 basis points in a bid to wind down the restrictive monetary policy.
Effective from March 12, the interest rates on the deposit facility, the main refinancing operations and the marginal lending facility will be decreased to 2.50 percent, 2.65 percent and 2.90 percent respectively, said the central bank in a statement.
The disinflation process is well on track, with headline inflation averaging 2.3 percent in 2025, 1.9 percent in 2026 and 2.0 percent in 2027, the ECB said.
The decision to keep on cutting rates came at a time when the economy in the eurozone is facing increasing uncertainties.
In its latest edition of the staff projections on Thursday, the ECB lowered its forecast for economic growth in the eurozone to 0.9 percent for 2025, 1.2 percent for 2026 and 1.3 percent for 2027.
This marks a downward revision from the ECB's forecast in December last year, which had projected 1.1 percent growth in 2025 and 1.4 percent in 2026, while the 2027 outlook remains unchanged.
The ECB attributed the weaker growth outlook for 2025 and 2026 to declining exports and sluggish investment, citing high trade policy uncertainty and broader economic instability as key factors.
ECB cuts interest rates by 25 basis points
