China Media Group unveils mascots for Spring Festival Gala

The China Media Group (CMG) on Thursday unveiled four vibrant mascots for the 2026 Spring Festival Gala, heralding the upcoming Year of the Horse with wishes of vitality and ambition.

The Chinese lunar year for 2026 is the Year of the Horse and will begin on February 17, 2026.

Horse is one of the most dynamic and spirited in the 12-animal Chinese zodiac cycle, representing strength, perseverance, and unstoppable momentum.

The four horses were named from the Chinese saying -- "Qi Ji Chi Cheng"-- meaning "Galloping steed, Onward unstoppable", which is also the theme of the upcoming gala.

Inspired by classic representations of horses across different periods of Chinese history, the mascots are adorned with classic elements of traditional Chinese clouds and thunder.

The design is a reflection of the spirit of renewal and progress in the new year.

Qiqi, a dark-colored horse, features a vigorous posture, fully embodying the forward-looking and ambitious spirit.

Jiji, a horse spreading wings to soar through the clouds in pursuit of the sun, represents a spirit of striving and upward momentum.

Chichi has a tied-up tail, fully displaying a demeanor of confidence and composure.

The image of Chengcheng was inspired by Przewalski's horse. As the only surviving wild horse species on Earth, it is known as a "living genetic fossil" with a 60-million-year evolutionary history.

Being robust and agile, Chengcheng showcases the harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.

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 year's Spring Festival Eve falls on Feb 16, 2026.

China Media Group unveils mascots for Spring Festival Gala

China Media Group unveils mascots for Spring Festival Gala

China Media Group unveils mascots for Spring Festival Gala

China Media Group unveils mascots for Spring Festival Gala

Global food commodity prices climbed for a second consecutive month in March, driven mainly by higher energy costs linked to escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in report released on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 128.5 points in March, up 2.4 percent from February and 1.0 percent above its level a year ago.

According to the report, the FAO Vegetable Oil Index and Sugar Price Index showed the largest increases, up 5.1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.

The FAO Cereal Price Index increased by 1.5 percent from the previous month, driven primarily by higher world wheat prices, which rose 4.3 percent.

The FAO Meat Price Index rose by 1.0 percent from the previous month, and the FAO All-Rice Price Index declined by 3.0 percent in March, according to the report.

FAO stated that rising energy and fertilizer prices have been driving up agricultural input costs.

If the conflict stretches beyond 40 days, farmers will have to choose to farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertilizer crops, according to FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero.

These choices will hit future yields and shape food supply and commodity prices for the rest of this year and beyond, Torero said.

Global food prices rise for 2nd consecutive month in March amid Middle East conflict: FAO