The highly anticipated 2025 Lantern Festival Gala, one of the premier television events on China's entertainment calendar, will see a return of the four sub-venues that participated in this year's Spring Festival Gala held in late January, aiming to spread festive cheer through a vibrant array of performances showcasing the richness of traditional Chinese culture.
Hosted by the China Media Group (CMG), this year's gala is set to begin at 20:00 local time on Wednesday. The event will feature a diverse lineup of entertaining performances, including energetic songs and dances, comedy sketches, traditional operas, and magic shows.
The four sub-venues, namely Wuhan in central China, the bustling southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, the ancient city of Lhasa in the Xizang Autonomous Region and the historic water town of Wuxi in east China's Jiangsu Province, will come together with the main venue in Beijing to highlight China's unique cultural charm.
From the fiery passion of boatmen's songs on rivers near Chongqing to the high aspiration of Wuhan's Hanyangmen Garden, from the majestic snow-capped mountains of Lhasa to the picturesque canals of Wuxi, each sub-venue will offer a unique and unforgettable spectacle.
The boatmen's songs sung in Chongqing used to unify their rowing rhythm. It generally has a lead singer supported by others and originated in Chongqing and eastern Sichuan Province. These songs were inspired by the environment around the singers, such as mountains and rivers.
"The Chongqing sub-venue will perform the boatmen's songs by combining elements of intangible cultural heritage with a tinge of pop rock in their singing style, creating a lively atmosphere. The song of 'Hanyangmen Garden' is very popular among people in Wuhan and we've adapted it into a special version for the Lantern Festival. We will even include a reference to lotus root soup in the lyrics, capturing the flavors of our hometown in a warm and refreshing new tune. At the Lhasa sub-venue, various ethnic groups will showcase their traditional costumes in a grand fashion show combined with song performances, so as to show a prosperous image of our diverse ethnicities coming together. We will also adapt the story of 'Red Beans Grow in Southern Land' into a new expression that blends ancient and modern duet styles, featuring familiar melodies and verses to evoke a timeless love story. This also harmonizes beautifully with the soft dialect of Wuxi," said Yu Lei, chief director of the 2025 Lantern Festival Gala.
The gala will also feature familiar faces from the Spring Festival, including farmer singer Liu Guangju and representatives from various professions, who will perform the uplifting song "With Unity" to inspire teamwork and ambition.
Additionally, popular singer Liu Yuning will join hands with the China Disabled Persons' Art Troupe to perform the touching song "For the Diligent," celebrating resilience and determination.
"This song gives me a very warm feeling and reminds me of my hometown. We want to share the beauty of this song and our aspirations for a better life with all our fellow citizens," said Liu Guangju.
The Lantern Festival, observed on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, lands on Wednesday this year, and marks the conclusion of the country's Spring Festival celebrations, which center around the Chinese New Year.
With a history spanning over 2,000 years, the Lantern Festival is deemed an important annual occasion in China, and is a time to admire the first full moon of the new year, view traditional lantern shows, and eat "Yuanxiao" or "Tangyuan", a traditional ball-shaped Chinese dessert made of glutinous rice.
2025 Lantern Festival Gala to feature four sub-venues, celebrating unity, tradition
