Midnight bell rings in Year of Snake during Spring Festival Gala

The 2025 Spring Festival Gala reached its climax after nearly four hours of on-air performances with a midnight countdown to welcome the arrival of the Year of the Snake, which landed on Wednesday.

The bell tolled as the clock struck midnight, signaling the start of the new year. The atmosphere erupted into a jubilant celebration at the gala's main venue in Beijing and at the four sub-venues in Wuxi, Wuhan, Chongqing and Lhasa, which had each hosted a series of cultural performances throughout the night.

The arrival of the Year of the Snake was met with cheers as people embraced the festive moment with song and dance, against the backdrop of spectacular light shows and fireworks at the various sub-venues.

The annual gala, also known as "Chunwan," was first broadcast in 1983 and is seen as a major cultural symbol for 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.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong met with Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Celeste Saulo on Monday in Beijing.

Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the Chinese government attaches great importance to global meteorological cooperation and has issued "MAZU," the Chinese solution for national early warning, to support the implementation of the Early Warning for All Initiative launched by the United Nations.

China will continue to support the WMO in playing a leading role in global meteorological governance, and make greater contributions to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humankind, Liu said.

Saulo spoke highly of China's meteorological development and remarkable achievements in disaster prevention and mitigation, and expressed the willingness to further deepen cooperation with China.