The promotional video of the China Media Group (CMG)'s 2026 Spring Festival Gala made its debut in Santiago, capital city of Chile, on Sunday, attracting flocks of residents to experience rich Chinese culture.
Thousands of Chilean residents gathered in downtown Santiago for the CMG Spring Festival Gala promotional activities. The promotional video played at the event vividly shows the festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year.
Spectators recorded the exciting moments with their smart phones, saying the promotional video gave them a direct feel of the unique charm of the Chinese New Year and sparked a strong interest in the Chinese festival culture of family reunions and bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new.
Artists from both China and Chile presented diverse cultural performances featuring dragon and lion dances, traditional instrumental music, martial arts, and folk dances, adding festive atmosphere to the event.
The event also featured interactive activities allowing locals to experience Chinese handicrafts, traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese cuisine, and Chinese-language cultural and creative products, giving them opportunities to feel the diverse charm of traditional Chinese culture firsthand.
Known as "Chunwan" in Chinese, the Spring Festival gala has been broadcast live annually since 1983 and is regarded as a major cultural symbol for the Chinese New Year celebrations in China. This year's gala will air on Feb 16, the eve of the Chinese New Year.
The gala has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-watched annual television program worldwide. Just over a year ago, the Spring Festival itself was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
CMG 2026 Spring Festival Gala promo debuts in Chile
CMG 2026 Spring Festival Gala promo debuts in Chile
Thousands of Venezuelan migrants have crossed into Brazil following U.S. military strikes in Caracas and other cities earlier this month, local officials said.
On Jan. 3, the U.S. government carried out military attacks on Caracas and other localities in Venezuela, forcibly taking away the presidential couple, resulting in 100 fatalities, according to the official tally.
Over the first 20 days in January, more than 5,000 Venezuelans have crossed into Brazil, according to local government data, as thousands seek safety and better opportunities amid ongoing crises at home.
Since the past decade, about 1.4 million Venezuelans have migrated to Brazil, with more than 70 percent entering through Roraima, whose northern border city of Pacaraima serves as a major gateway for migrants seeking better living conditions. Most arrivals are family units like parents with children or siblings, rarely traveling alone.
"I came with my three family members, they are my nephews. My brother has been in Brazil for a year, and he invited me here to get financially stable, which is what we're really looking for," said a Venezuelan migrant.
"I come from Zaraza, in the state of Guarico, Venezuela, after a journey of approximately two days and one night by bus. We have decided to migrate to a brotherly country like Brazil to pursue a better quality of life," said Jimmy Carapa, another Venezuelan migrant.
Antonio Denarium, the governor of Roraima, said the state has a border of over 2,000 kilometers, making it the second longest border state in Brazil. Following the U.S. military action against Venezuela, the state has been closely monitoring the situation to ensure security.
"Following recent military actions, we have reinforced our security forces on the border with Venezuela, including the military police, the civil police and the public security secretariat. Measures including identity recognition, facial recognition and license plate recognition have been carried out through the surveillance system. Everything at the border will be reported to the federal government, the Ministry of Defense and the president in a timely manner," said Denarium.
In 2018, the Brazilian government launched Operacao Acolhida (Operation Welcome), a humanitarian initiative to assist Venezuelan migrants at the border.
The operation provides registration assistance, CPF (Cadastro de Pessoa Fisica/Individual Tax Payer Registry) numbers, free vaccinations, temporary shelter and food aid.
"Previously, we were receiving around 300 to 350 people per day. Now, that number has dropped slightly to about 200, but we expect it to rise as normalcy returns. The Operation Welcome program is prepared for any increase in migrant flows," said Cintia Miranda, a coordinator of social protection and emergencies at the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger.
Thousands of Venezuelan migrants cross into Brazil after US strikes
