Landmark buildings in eight Chinese cities have been lit up with the theme and logo of the 2026 Spring Festival Gala, welcoming in advance the arrival of the Year of the Horse.
China Media Group (CMG) on Wednesday unveiled the official theme and logo for its 2026 Spring Festival Gala, celebrating the start of the Year of the Horse in the Chinese lunar calendar, which begins on February 17, 2026.
Inspired by a poetic line from an ancient anthology of Chinese poetry, the theme of the 2026 Spring Festival Gala is "Galloping steed, Onward unstoppable", CMG announced.
The light shows were staged on landmark buildings in eight Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hengyang and Huzhou.
The Chinese lunar year for 2026 is the Year of the Horse, one of the most dynamic and spirited in the 12-animal Chinese zodiac cycle, representing strength, perseverance and unstoppable momentum.
The Spring Festival Gala hosted by CMG has been an essential part of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations since 1983. The gala includes songs, dances, comic sketches, operas and folk arts.
The annual spectacle, known as the most-watched television program in the world, is broadcast on the eve of the Chinese New Year, when families come together to ring in the new lunar year.
This upcoming Spring Festival Eve falls on Feb 16, 2026.
Spring Festival Gala logo, theme light up on landscape buildings across China
Movie fans stepped into the shooting locations of racing-comedy film "Pegasus 3" to explore the industrial site that served as the racetrack in the film during a public open day event on Saturday in Ningbo City, east China's Zhejiang Province.
"Pegasus 3" is the third installment in Director Han Han's racing-comedy franchise starring Shen Teng, one of China's most bankable comedic actors. As of Monday, it has surpassed a box office of over 41 billion yuan (around 596 million U.S. dollars), according to ticketing tracker Maoyan.
A refining plant belonging to Sinopec Zhenhai Refining and Chemical Company, a key filming location for "Pegasus 3," saw its unique industrial landscape transformed into a futuristic cyberpunk-style racetrack in the film.
On the open day event at the plant, many fans located the starting point of the "Muchen 100 Rally" qualifying track from the movie while gathering near the entrance. Refining towers, pipe corridors and lighting perfectly matched the shots seen in the film.
"I'm so happy to visit the plant after seeing 'Pegasus 3.' Seeing these buildings and lights in person makes me feel very proud," said Zheng Sijun, a movie fan.
Many industrial facilities, roads and embankment greenways in the plant area appeared in the film's racetrack scenes. These real industrial settings became a vital part of the movie's visual effects.
Fans also entered the central control room of the refinery to get a close-up look at operations.
"When watching the movie, we only saw a general view of the plant on screen. But coming to the site, you realize this is a truly huge, vast and awe-inspiring industrial complex," said Wang Ziyi, another movie fan.
The event's success indicates that the public's passion for film can be translated into educational initiatives, boosting awareness of China's advancements in productive forces among everyday people in the country.
Popular racing film spurs visits to shooting location in east China's Ningbo city
