Promotional event for 2025 Spring Festival Gala held in east China's Wuxi

A promotional event for the 2025 Spring Festival Gala was held over the weekend in Wuxi City of east China's Jiangsu Province, featuring display of the official mascot and products showcasing traditions, intangible cultural heritages.

The annual Spring Festival Gala produced by China Media Group (CMG), also known as "Chunwan" in Chinese, has been seen as a major cultural symbol for the traditional Lunar New Year celebrations in China since its debut in 1983. This year's event will be aired on Jan 28, the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Wuxi, renowned for the tranquil elegance of its water towns and vibrant private economy, has been selected as one of the four sub-venues for the 2025 Spring Festival Gala of the 2025 Chinese Lunar Year, which will be a Year of the Snake, along with Chongqing in southwest China, Wuhan in central China and Lhasa also in southwest China, complementing the main venue in Beijing.

In the bustling downtown of Wuxi, an installation has been placed as part of the promotional event on the weekend, counting down to the annual variety show. The activity area, with red and gold as the main colors, is decorated with zodiac snake-themed elements, featuring the elegant local architecture style.

The event also included a market packed with Spring Festival Gala-themed products, presenting the official mascot of the gala -- a cartoon snake named "Si Shengsheng" -- and other cultural products designed by CMG.

"My favorite is the official mascot for the 2025 Spring Festival Gala because it's very cute," said Zheng Yimo, a student of Wuxi Yunlin experimental primary school.

This year's Spring Festival Gala will also be the first one after UNESCO's addition of Chinese New Year celebrations on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, a momentous occasion for Chinese culture.

Chinese New Year was officially recognized by UNESCO on December 4, underscoring the global significance of this traditional festival. The recognition not only elevates the international profile of Chinese culture but also provides an opportunity for people worldwide to engage with and celebrate the festival's rich traditions.

Wuxi boasts a splendid array of national-level intangible cultural heritage items including Huishan clay figurine and Yixing pottery ware, as well as diverse provincial-level ones such as the Wuxi paper horses, a kind of woodblock printing used for folk sacrifice.

The event brought together inheritors of these intangible cultural heritages to demonstrate the exquisite crafts to the public.

"This is a piece of intangible cultural heritage work I bought at the market. It's a Wuxi paper horse. I got this one in order to bring myself some good luck in the New Year," said a local resident.

Promotional event for 2025 Spring Festival Gala held in east China's Wuxi

Promotional event for 2025 Spring Festival Gala held in east China's Wuxi

The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.

In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.

"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.

Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.

The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."

Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.

President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.

Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.

Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.

Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests