CMG to air 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival Gala on Oct 6

China Media Group (CMG) -- the nation's flagship broadcaster -- will start to air the 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival Gala to its global audience at the prime viewing time of 20:00 on Monday, offering an audiovisual feast to the nation and Chinese families worldwide in the joy of home and pride in homeland. The gala will unfold in three chapters incorporating innovative narrative formats, such as outdoor filming and micro-documentaries, to enhance its audiovisual effects.

The gala will also mark significant historical anniversaries, including the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the 60th anniversary of the founding of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, and the 70th anniversary of the founding of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, integrating these milestones into its thematic elements.

Parts of the scenes for the gala were videotaped in Deyang City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, in creating an especially meaningful event that aims to bring people together under the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival on Oct 6.

Deyang, located on the fertile Chengdu Plain, boasts both modern industrial strength and the rich heritage of the ancient Shu Kingdom that suddenly disappeared about 2,000 years ago. It is home to the 3,000-year-old archaeological site of Sanxingdui, a revolutionary 20th-century find that has unveiled new clues about the brilliance and sophistication of early Chinese civilization.

The gala will be broadcast live globally on various CMG TV channels, including CCTV-1, CCTV-3, CCTV-4 and CCTV-15, and new media platforms as well as overseas social media platforms. It will also be aired simultaneously on mainstream media in other countries such as the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Colombia, Sri Lanka, and regions like Hong Kong and Macao.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a significant traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the night when the moon reaches its fullest and brightest on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, the day falls on Oct 6.

During the festival, family members would come together, share mooncakes while admiring the moon, and light up lanterns to enjoy the happiness of family reunion.

CMG to air 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival Gala on Oct 6

Japan began releasing oil from its reserves Monday to ease supply concerns amid the escalating Middle East conflict and ensure stable distribution of petroleum products, local media reported.

The country is initially releasing 15 days' worth of reserves held by the private sector, with a month's worth of government-held oil to follow, according to Kyodo News.

The Japanese government will lower the mandatory reserve requirement for oil refiners and trading firms from 70 days to 55 days, enabling them to utilize part of their existing inventories.

Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced the government's plans to release about 80 million barrels of oil, the largest release ever. The amount equals 45 days of domestic consumption and is 1.8 times the volume released following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that rocked northeastern Japan in 2011, Kyodo News reported.

Preparations are underway to sell oil from government-held reserves to wholesalers.

This marks the seventh time Japan has drawn on its oil reserves since the system was introduced in the 1970s. As of the end of 2025, Japan held an oil reserve equivalent to 254 days of domestic demand.

Japan relies on the Middle East for more than 90 percent of its crude oil imports, making it highly vulnerable to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of the Middle East conflict at the end of February. The disruption has driven sharp rises in crude oil prices in the country.

Japan begins oil reserve release amid Mideast conflict