Producers bring innovation, AI technology to CMG Mid-Autumn Festival Gala

Producers and guest performers of China Media Group (CMG)'s Mid-Autumn Festival Gala, which aired on Tuesday night, shared stories of how they pushed creative boundaries to make this year's show an unforgettable event.

The annual gala broadcast, also known as "Qiuwan" in Chinese, was recorded in Shenyang City in northeast China's Liaoning Province, a 2,300-year-old city boasting three world cultural heritages sites and over 1,500 historical and cultural sites. The city is also one of the most well-known industrial cities in China.

With theme of "moon culture", the gala vividly presented Chinese traditional culture with over 30 artistic performances, including poem recitals, songs and dances, as well as full-featured operas.

Hungarian pianist and composer Balazs Havasi was among those who graced the gala stage with his exceptional talent.

"We chose a musical piece which fits very well to this environment, because the piece itself sounds a little bit industrial. And I think it's going to be fun to perform here, because if you look around, the whole place is very industrial as well. And it's all about power, it's all about believing in your dreams, and going after them. It's kind of like a tough song to play, I have to admit," said Havasi in an interview to China Global Television Network (CGTN) during a rehearsal of the gala.

The production team behind the gala aimed to showcase Shenyang's unique customs and iconic landmarks, offering a vibrant glimpse into the heart of northeast China's Liaoning province.

"This year, we are hosting the gala in Shenyang. It's a city rich in culture and history. By holding the event here, we aim to showcase a dynamic Shenyang through our program. We will do so by using a mix of exciting visuals to feature local customs and highlight historical and cultural landmarks," said Dong Jinming, executive director of the gala.

To ensure a high-quality presentation, advanced broadcast technologies were integral to the production process. The gala also used AI to elevate the viewing experience, delivering a more immersive show.

"For this year's Mid-Autumn Festival Gala production, CMG's technical team has integrated AI technology to assist in the creation of the program. We are integrating AI into the cultural relics, and letting them tell their own stories at the gala. We can also 'time travel' via AI, and present the emotions that we want to express. These innovations bring new features to the gala and have helped to reduce costs while increasing efficiency in the production process," said Feng Yi, head of AI-related design and production team of the gala.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

As a festival in honor of the moon and harvest, families reunite on the occasion to admire the bright full moon, light lanterns, and share the traditional holiday pastry of mooncakes.

Producers bring innovation, AI technology to CMG Mid-Autumn Festival Gala

With the Pinglu Canal in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region officially open to shipping, Yangpu Port in south China's Hainan Province will fully leverage the policy and geographical advantages of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) to accelerate its development into an international shipping hub, further connecting the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor with global markets.

The canal stretches along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a strategic trade route connecting China's inland regions with ASEAN and other global markets. It is the first river-to-sea canal project planned and coordinated at the national level since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Located in the northwest of the island province, Yangpu Port is the deep-water port closest to the main international shipping routes in the Beibu Gulf, and is also one of the maritime outlets of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

The opening of the Pinglu Canal to navigation has opened up a new sea-river intermodal transport corridor for goods entering and leaving the southwestern region, and has also brought new opportunities to some enterprises.

At a petrochemical enterprise in Danzhou City, robotic arms are bagging and packaging chemical products on a conveyor belt, and these goods will be shipped to southwest China's Guizhou Province and other places.

Most of this enterprise's customers in the Chinese mainland are concentrated in the southwestern Chinese provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou. At present, the enterprise is adjusting its future shipping plans in response to the logistics changes brought by the opening of the Pinglu Canal to navigation.

"We plan to shift about 70 percent of our goods to this new sea-river intermodal transport corridor, and overall logistics costs are expected to drop by 30 to 40 percent. Next year we also plan to build another plant in Hainan, which will allow us to take advantage of the free trade port's policies, import raw materials from places like Indonesia, and after processing, sell the products to the southwestern region or re-export them. This is expected to add about 200,000 tons of production capacity," said Wei Jianqiang, head of Hainan Oxiranchem Co., Ltd.

Behind the enterprises' expansion of production and the busier flow of goods, there is also the upgraded service support made possible by the opening of the Pinglu Canal to navigation. In this regard, the relevant authorities have also made full preparations.

"After the Pinglu Canal opens to navigation, we will strengthen safeguard measures in areas such as facilitating the entry and exit of container ships on fixed routes, credit-based regulation, and cross-regional coordination," said Jiang Yufeng, head of the Xiaochantan Maritime Patrol and Law Enforcement Brigade, Yangpu Maritime Safety Administration.

Pinglu Canal underscores growing role of Yangpu Port as int'l shipping hub