The China Media Group (CMG) 2025 Spring Festival Gala has been widely highlighted as a window for people across the world to get a better understanding of the Spring Festival, especially after UNESCO added the festival to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
More than 2,900 media outlets in more than 200 countries and regions broadcast the CMG 2025 Spring Festival Gala live and covered the gala, which lasted over four hours on the eve of the Chinese New Year of the Snake. The performances were staged at the main venue in Beijing and at four sub-venues across the country, namely Wuxi, Wuhan, Chongqing and Lhasa.
CMG leveraged a multilingual, multi-platform international media network to share this culturally rich Chinese celebration with the world.
By 18:00 on Wednesday, the overseas dissemination of the gala had achieved unprecedented milestones, setting new records.
Leveraging its expansive international network, CMG delivered the gala in 82 languages, 14 more than in 2024, ensuring accessibility from Southeast Asia to South America. The broadcast's linguistic diversity was matched by its geographic spread: over 3,100 media partners, including CNN, Japan's Niconico, Russia's VK, and Italy's Alma TV, synchronized their coverage, amplifying the event's reach.
Audience engagement soared to new heights. China Global Television Network (CGTN), CMG's international arm, reported 1.738 billion content reads and 587 million video views.
As 2:00 on Wednesday, the Gala reached a staggering 16.8 billion views across all media platforms in China, an 18.31 percent increase from last year. Notably, mobile viewership soared to 372 million, up 52.46 percent year on year.
The Gala set a new record for live streaming on domestic new media platforms, with 2.13 billion total views by 08:00 Wednesday, a 26.04 percent increase from the previous year. The Gala's vertical screen livestreaming, now in its fourth year, garnered 530 million views, up 25.3 percent from last year, and attracted 300 million users, a 16.73 percent increase.
The 2025 Gala dominated China's social media, generating 27 billion topic reads and 1,136 trending searches.
Liu Wenjian, executive chairman of the Hungarian association of overseas Chinese communities, told CMG's social media platform Riyuetantian that his local friends in Hungary said they felt the charm of the Spring Festival through the Gala.
Ren Yujie, head of the Madagascar branch of the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification, said the Gala effectively integrated various intangible cultural heritage elements, with the opening visual show alone containing more than 10 intangible cultural heritages, including paper-cutting of Qingyang City in northwestern Gansu Province, and kite-making of Weifang City of eastern Shandong Province.
Huang Zengshou, teacher with a Confucius Institute, said the CMG 2025 Spring Festival Gala displayed Chinese culture in a more international way, citing the example of a performance gathering Chinese and Peruvian artists.
Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots told Riyuetantian that they saw innovations in the designs of some other performances, including one based on the well-known Legend of the White Snake, which combined several types of indigenous operas and thus multiple cultural elements.
The Gala used new sci-techs to show China's achievements in relevant fields.
Electric cars with smart lights and a formation of 3,000 drones shined at the sub-venue in Chongqing, while at the main venue in Beijing, humanoid robots adorned with bright flashy colors impressively performed the "handkerchief spin" -- a signature move in the folk dance of Yangge, which is popular in northern China.
According to Wang Ran, head of the Sydney branch of the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification, many friends in the city believe that China's relevant advanced technologies are leading globally and will benefit the whole world.
Additionally, this year, CMG has introduced accessibility features for visually and hearing-impaired viewers. Visually impaired viewers can tune in to CMG's live audio broadcast, while hearing-impaired audiences can enjoy the Gala with customized accessibility features on CMG's news app and video platforms. The Gala's barrier-free broadcasting and coverage reached 58.97 million viewers.
Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots as well as overseas Chinese said they were deeply moved by the efficient response to the earthquake which struck Dingri County of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region earlier this month.
Sufficient warm and safe relocation sites were set up within days after the quake, with relief supplies pouring in.
The sub-venue in Lhasa, capital city of China's Xizang Autonomous Region, attached a special meaning to the Spring Festival Gala for the Year of the Snake, and more clearly proved the care for the people, which is an attribute of the Spring Festival, now a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, said Dong Bacui, deputy head of the Philippines branch of the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification.
CMG Spring Festival Gala highlighted as window of Chinese culture
