Characters from hit blockbuster movie make surprise appearance at Lantern Festival gala

China

Characters from hit blockbuster movie make surprise appearance at Lantern Festival gala

2025-02-12 20:28 Last Updated At：02-13 00:37

Characters from the hugely popular animated feature film "Ne Zha 2", which has become the highest grossing film in a single market, took to the stage during the Lantern Festival Gala on Wednesday evening, adding some movie magic to the traditional Chinese festival.

Hosted by the China Media Group (CMG), the gala boasted a star-studded lineup and delivered a high-tech visual-audio feast for viewers tuning in from around the world, with the Ne Zha-themed segment being one of the highlights.

The sequel movie has proven a huge family hit and has shattered box office records since its recent release during China's Spring Festival holiday, and has already amassed over 9.5 billion yuan (more than 1.3 billion U.S. dollars) as of Wednesday, becoming the first non-Hollywood film to surpass the billion-dollar-mark.

With the help of some cutting-edge tech, the film's main characters of Nezha and Aobing put in an appearance on stage as Lyu Yanting, the actress who voices the titular character 'Nezha', performed a duet with Chinese rock star Wowkie Zhang, accompanied by a troupe of child dancers.

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.

First broadcast in 1985, the Lantern Festival Gala is again staging a whole host of entertaining variety performances including energetic song and dances, comedy sketches, as well as traditional operas and magic shows, highlighting China's unique cultural charm.

China strongly condemns U.S. use of force against Venezuela

China is deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the U.S.'s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Saturday.

It's reported that the U.S. launched military strikes on Venezuela and Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. has "successfully" carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife, have been taken and "flown out of the country."

Such hegemonic acts of the U.S. seriously violate international law and Venezuela's sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region, the spokesperson said, adding that China firmly opposes it.

"We call on the U.S. to abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and stop violating other countries' sovereignty and security," said the spokesperson.