CMG 2025 Spring Festival Gala gets underway in Beijing

The 2025 Spring Festival Gala, an annual televised celebration hosted by the China Media Group (CMG), got underway at 20:00 Tuesday (Beijing Time), on the eve of the Chinese New Year.

The widely anticipated show features a variety of exciting performances, including singing, dancing, comedy sketches, opera, martial arts and magic tricks.

In addition to the main stage in Beijing, four sub-venues have been set up across the country in Chongqing Municipality, Wuhan City in Hubei Province, Lhasa City in Xizang Autonomous Region, and Wuxi City in Jiangsu Province.

Themed "Year of the Snake, Keep Your Spirit Awake," this year's gala, a blend of traditional culture with modern elements, offers both a vibrant celebration of the past and an exciting glimpse into the future, reinforcing its important role in connecting Chinese people worldwide.

As the first CMG Spring Festival Gala since the festival's inscription on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the gala has integrated more elements of intangible cultural heritage to create a cultural feast for global audiences.

The gala, also known as "Chunwan", was first broadcast back in 1983 and is seen as a major cultural symbol for the traditional Spring Festival celebrations in China.

Recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's most-watched annual TV program, the hours-long television extravaganza attracts over a billion views every year.

The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, falls on Jan 29 this year, ushering in the Year of the Snake.

CMG 2025 Spring Festival Gala gets underway in Beijing

CMG 2025 Spring Festival Gala gets underway in Beijing

CMG 2025 Spring Festival Gala gets underway in Beijing

CMG 2025 Spring Festival Gala gets underway in Beijing

CMG 2025 Spring Festival Gala gets underway in Beijing

As the United States is set to formally withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) in January, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Tuesday that the move will make both the country and the world "unsafe."

On his first day back in the White House on Jan. 20, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the country from the WHO. The United Nations received the formal notice two days later.

Under the organization's charter, the withdrawal takes effect one year after notice is given.

It's not really the right decision, Tedros said, expressing his hope that the United States will reconsider its decision and rejoin the WHO.

He added that much of the work done by the WHO is beneficial to the United States, and "that's why I said the U.S. cannot be safe without working with WHO."

The WHO chief also said that the organization is gradually addressing its funding issues through budget adjustments and structural reforms.

U.S. withdrawal from WHO makes the world "unsafe," says WHO chief