The China Media Group (CMG) released the highlights of 2025 Spring Festival Chinese Opera Gala at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
Zhang Guofei, director of CMG's arts program center, presented the main innovation highlights of this year's gala and released the poster of the gala.
The gala was recorded in an ancient county seat of Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province.
The main stage of the gala was designed to capture the enchanting ambiance of the ancient county seat of Taiyuan, with the architecture serving as a natural backdrop for the performances.
The production team also utilized drone aerial footage and outdoor scenes to seamlessly integrate the stage with the city's iconic landmarks, such as the Yingze Bridge, and the Shanxi Provincial Museum, immersing the audience in the timeless beauty of Chinese opera.
This year's gala has brought together nearly 80 opera troupes from across the country, showcasing more than 30 different types of traditional opera in 14 performances.
The star-studded lineup features renowned artists, up-and-coming performers, as well as crossover singers and actors, all coming together to showcase the rich tapestry of China's vibrant operatic heritage.
The gala's poster embodies the concept of "reunion" and incorporates numerous intangible cultural heritage elements, including paper carving, paper cutting, and shadow play.
At the event, CMG's Arts Program Center signed a cooperation agreement with the Publicity Department of the Taiyuan Municipal Committee of Communist Party of China. Both parties agreed to continue launching a series of high-quality cultural projects to develop local cultural tourism brands in a multi-dimensional, multi-faceted, and diverse manner, working together to achieve mutually beneficial cooperation.
The gala will be first aired across multiple CMG channels, including CCTV-1, CCTV-11, and new media platforms at 20:00 on Jan. 30. In addition, a series of new media programs about the gala also will be aired during the holiday.
The Spring Festival is the grandest traditional festival in China and an occasion for family reunion. It falls on Jan 29 this year, ushering in the Year of the Snake, the 6th of the 12-year cycle of animals that appear in the Chinese Zodiac.
CMG releases highlights of 2025 Spring Festival Chinese Opera Gala
Several countries in the Middle East condemned on Sunday the remarks made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the establishment of a Palestinian state on Saudi territory.
Netanyahu's remarks, made during an interview on Thursday with Israel's Channel 14, suggested that "Saudis can establish a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have plenty of land there."
In response, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the kingdom rejects such remarks that aim to divert attention from the "continuous crimes" committed by Israel.
The kingdom emphasizes that the Palestinian people have a right to their land, and lasting peace can only be achieved by returning to the logic of reason and accepting the principle of peaceful coexistence through the two-state solution, it said.
Also in a statement, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said Netanyahu's remarks constitute a blatant violation of the sovereignty of Saudi Arabia and an assault on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, in addition to their violation of the rules of international law and the United Nations Charter.
The ministry expressed Iraq's full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, stressing that "any violation of the national sovereignty of any country is completely unacceptable."
Sufian Qudah, spokesman for Jordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, emphasized Jordan's rejection of the remarks, which he said reflect an exclusionary and inciteful ideology that is hostile to peace and fuels further escalation in the region.
Qudah reaffirmed Jordan's full support for and solidarity with Saudi Arabia, calling on the international community to condemn and denounce Netanyahu's remarks.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry labeled Netanyahu's remarks as a flagrant violation of international law and "a blatant infringement of the U.N. Charter."
In a statement, it reaffirmed the country's steadfast position on the justness of the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the establishment of an independent state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said on Sunday that the underlying logic of Netanyahu's remarks is unacceptable and completely detached from reality.
On the same day, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) lambasted the Israeli prime minister's unacceptable and irresponsible remarks. The OIC regards this as a provocation against Saudi Arabia, violating its sovereignty, national security, territorial integrity and blatantly breaching international law and the U.N. Charter, it said.
On Saturday, multiple other countries, including Palestine, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sudan, also rebuked Netanyahu's remarks, arguing that they violate the sovereignty of both Palestine and Saudi Arabia and contravene the principles of international law.
Middle East countries deplore remarks on establishing Palestinian state in Saudi territory