The 2025 Spring Festival Gala hosted and aired by the China Media Group (CMG) has delivered over four hours of captivating cultural performances to audiences tuning in from all around the world as people celebrate one of the most important Chinese holidays.
The gala opened at 20:00 Tuesday Beijing time on the eve of the Chinese New Year of the Snake, with performances being staged at the main venue in Beijing and at four sub-venues across the country, namely Wuxi, Wuhan, Chongqing and Lhasa.
Themed "Year of the Snake, Keep Your Spirit Awake", the annual television extravaganza featured a dazzling array of singing and dancing, opera, comedy sketches, martial arts and other performances.
As the first gala held since the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed the Spring Festival on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December last year, this year's show featured more elements of intangible cultural heritage such as Lazi Duixie, a traditional tap dance from Lazi County in Xizang Autonomous Region, and the ritual act of Yingge Dance which is popular in the Chaoshan area of the southern Guangdong Province.
Highlighting a blend of traditional and modern elements, with performances ranging from humanoid robots performing folk dances, to operas with regional traditions, to comedy sketches and magic tricks, the gala once again demonstrated the rich and diverse culture of China as it brought together artists from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and performers of various ethnic groups.
A delightful collision of cultures was also displayed at the event, with Chinese and Peruvian artists sharing the stage to deliver a performance blending a traditional Chinese folk song with a popular Peruvian orchestral musical piece.
The gala also featured a performance by American pop rock band OneRepublic, who gave a rendition of their popular single 'Counting Stars' from the stage of the sub-venue in Wuhan.
The marathon variety show reached its climax with the countdown to New Year and the ringing of the midnight bell signaling the arrival of the Year of the Snake.
Also known as "Chunwan", the gala 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.
CMG stages annual Spring Festival Gala as China celebrates Year of Snake
CMG stages annual Spring Festival Gala as China celebrates Year of Snake
Peaceful protests originally driven by economic conditions in Iran spiraled into more volatile and violent unrests as a result of foreign agents infiltrating the demonstrations, Iranian professor Foad Izadi has said.
Protests have erupted in several Iranian cities since late December over the sharp fall in the national currency, the rial, and long-standing economic hardships. The reported death toll from the unrest on both sides of the security forces and civilians is mounting.
During an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Izadi, a professor of world studies at the University of Tehran, said that what began as peaceful demonstrations in the Iranian capital and across the country soon grew into something far worse as a result of outside interference.
"Initially, we had legitimate protests. Iran's currency fluctuated, and a number of shopkeepers were affected negatively by because of this fluctuation. It was a peaceful protest, nothing happened, no injuries, nothing. But quickly, we had organized opposition, generally led by the former Shah's son, that took over these demonstrations. So in the last 10 days or so, we have had no real demonstrations," he said.
Izadi said that there are signs that certain foreign countries are responsible for fomenting unrest on the ground.
Writing on social media earlier this month, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is also a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, did acknowledge the presence of Israeli agents operating on the ground in Iran, wishing "Happy New Year to every Iranian in the streets. Also to every Mossad agent walking beside them."
"We have had riots. We have had Mossad agents infiltrating these riots and shooting at the police. We have had over 100 police casualties in the last 10 days or so. How do we know that? The former CIA director and former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, sent these Mossad agents New Year's message greeting, saying that alongside protesters you have Mossad agents walking, which is true, because Iranian authorities have arrested a number of Mossad agents," Izadi said.
The scholar said the infiltration is an attempt to provoke riots by Israel, which he views as a violent agitator, noting that the country killed over 70,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during its assault on the besieged enclave.
"So we have confirmation on the American side, and we have confirmation on the Iranian side, that this is not a protest. When you have intelligence services of a regime that finished killing 70,000 people just a few months ago infiltrating demonstrations, that is not demonstrations. That's going to be riots," he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened military action against Iran if the country's leadership continued to crack down on protests.
Peaceful protests turned violent with foreign infiltration: Iranian political scholar
