CMG strives to present spectacular Spring Festival Gala to global audience

China

CMG strives to present spectacular Spring Festival Gala to global audience

2025-01-26 11:16 Last Updated At：01-27 00:37

The China Media Group (CMG) -- the nation's flagship broadcaster -- has exerted all efforts to deliver a spectacular Spring Festival Gala for audiences both at home and from abroad, as the time for airing this highly anticipated program is just around corner.

The Spring Festival Gala, or the CCTV New Year's Gala, is a Chinese New Year special produced by the CMG. It is broadcast annually on the eve of the Chinese New Year on its flagship CCTV-1 and internationally through the China Global Television Network. The gala has the largest audience of any entertainment show in the world, and is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's most watched television program.

The 2025 version of the very gala is the first one since the Spring Festival was officially recognized by the United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an intangible cultural heritage last year.

Themed "Year of the Snake, Keep Your Spirits Awake," this year's gala, to be aired at the prime viewing time on Jan 28, will present a rich tapestry of performances, including songs, dances, traditional opera, and comedy sketches.

"I believe this song embodies a very simple wish that families across the country cherry on the occasion of the Spring Festival. It's a wish that everyone can experience auspiciousness and all the best in their everyday life throughout the year," said Yu Kewei, a singer who will stage a song singing at the gala.

In addition, the gala this year will seamlessly integrate intangible cultural heritage elements into every aspect of the production. From stage design, program arrangement to visual effects, the gala is intended to demonstrate the charm of traditional Chinese culture. One martial art performance at the gala is blended with the art of the calligraphy, with the Yin [negative] and Yang [positive] philosophy of Tai Chi [shadow boxing], a form of ancient Chinese martial art.

"We hope to see more people getting to know about the spirit of self-improvement of the Chinese martial art from the Spring Festival Gala," said Wang Shen, a coach with the Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts School in central China's Henan Province, which is deemed as the best and the largest martial arts academy in China.

Beyond the skilled martial art performance, the gala stage will also see a group of child performers who will present rounds of well-rehearsed programs.

"I love the Ruyi scepter (a symbol of good fortune and longevity in Chinese culture) embroidered on my pants, as it represents all the best in everything. I also love the two little balls on my hat, as they're really cute and all the children love them," said Gong Ziwei, a student with the Beijing Red Star Kindergarten Taipinglu branch, and also a performer of the gala.

"You can see the small drumsticks are shaped like candied hawthorns. They are particularly cute for the children to hold. The Yunjian (cloud collar, a motif embroidered on collar) is an embroidery which is an intangible cultural heritage of China. The children can learn more about Chinese stories through the program, and it's very beneficial for their growing up," said Guo Xin, principal of the Beijing Red Star Kindergarten Taipinglu branch.

Canadian PM's visit to China paves way for more pragmatic trade ties: scholar

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's official visit to China signals a policy shift towards building a more pragmatic relationship between the two countries, according to a Canadian researcher.

Carney arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to begin an official visit to China through Saturday, which marks the first trip by a Canadian Prime Minister to the country in eight years.

Robert Hanlon, director and principal investigator of Canada and the Asia Pacific Policy Project (CAPPP) at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, told the China Global Television Network (CGTN) that Carney's visit indicates Canada is recalibrating its strategic perception of China, which could cement the foundation for the country's economic diversification efforts and boost the development of bilateral cooperation.

"I think it's a clear message that he has moved Canada's strategy to a much more pragmatic, interest-based, -focused relationship with our trading partners, moving away from values-based narratives that we might have heard on previous governments. Canada has spoken about moving from what the Prime Minister's Office is calling "from reliance to resilience", and that means diversifying our economies and our trade everywhere in the world. And so China being our second largest trading partner, it makes perfect sense for our PM to head to Beijing," he said.

The scholar also noted the huge cooperation potential between the two sides in economic and trade fields, citing Canada's efforts to step up shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the planned construction of an oil pipeline in Alberta which aims to increase export access to Asian markets. "Canada and China both share tremendous economic opportunities together and so finding ways to enhance our exports. Canada specifically looking to build out its LNG and oil, kind of export market. We know Canada is a major producer of critical minerals and China is a buyer. And so there's a lot of synergy between that kind of those kind of markets," he said.