CMG presents culture-rich New Year Gala to ring in 2026

China Media Group (CMG) on Wednesday aired a grand New Year gala to welcome the arrival of 2026 with celebrations focused on the richness of Chinese culture, and blending traditional arts with contemporary creativity in a nationwide showcase of unity and joy.

Titled "Sail into 2026," the gala was staged in Lyuliang City, north China's Shanxi Province, and featured over 60 meticulously crafted performances. From vibrant song and dance routines to performances of traditional Chinese instrumental music, opera and martial arts, the gala embraced a wide variety of artistic styles, reflecting the depth of cultural heritage and the spirit of contemporary innovation.

The show vividly captured regional transformations across China, from the innovative dynamism of the Yangtze River Delta in east China to the cultural vitality of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in the northern part of the country. It also presented the energetic harmony of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area city cluster in the south, as well as heartfelt New Year wishes from China's Taiwan region.

The gala also shone a spotlight on ordinary individuals who made a difference in 2025. It also featured fresh works from a new wave of public cultural creators. Through these stories and performances, the gala offered a panoramic celebration of people nationwide joyfully embracing the New Year, together painting a hopeful picture of peace, prosperity and unity.

The gala was broadcast live at 20:00 on December 31 across CMG platforms including CCTV-1, CCTV-3, major radio frequencies, and new media outlets such as CCTV News.

The Eastern Theater Command of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) announced on Wednesday that it has successfully completed "Justice Mission 2025" drills.

Through the drills, the theater command fully tested the integrated joint operations capabilities of its troops, said Li Xi, spokesperson for the theater command.

The troops of the theater command will keep strengthening combat readiness with arduous training, resolutely thwart the attempts of secessionists in Taiwan and external intervention, and firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.

The exercises, which started on Monday, involved Army, Navy, Air Force, and Rocket Force units operating in the Taiwan Strait and waters to the north, southwest, southeast, and east of Taiwan Island.