Cultural event for promoting CMG 2026 Spring Festival Gala held in U.S. port city

A cultural event for promoting the 2026 Spring Festival Gala to be presented by China Media Group (CMG) was held on Tuesday at the Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington State, gathering both Chinese and U.S. representatives in cultural exchange amid a festive atmosphere.

"Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala - The World Watches the CMG Gala Together" was jointly held by the CMG, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Chinese Table Tennis Association, and the U.S.-China Youth and Student Exchange Association.

The event brought together nearly 500 representatives from both China and the U.S.

A choir made up of students from the Lincoln High School presented both Chinese and English songs and sent Spring Festival greetings to the Chinese people.

Similar overseas events are set to be held in multiple other countries, including France, New Zealand, Russia, Brazil and Egypt.

The CMG has held the "Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala" event for three years in a row.

The Spring Festival Gala, also known as "Chunwan" in Chinese, has been a major cultural symbol for the Chinese New Year celebrations in China since its debut in 1983. On every Chinese New Year's Eve, families and friends across the country gather to enjoy a mixed show of songs, dances, comic sketches, operas, and folk arts, among other performances.

The gala is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's most-watched TV program.

Cultural event for promoting CMG 2026 Spring Festival Gala held in U.S. port city

China's trade-in program has stimulated sales of consumer goods in the country so far this year, generating sales of 92.56 billion yuan (about 13.34 billion U.S. dollars) for automobiles, home appliances, digital and smart products in January, according to the latest official data released by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

The program benefited a total of 16.13 million purchases during the month.

In January, the sales volume of the main categories of home appliances and digital and smart products exceeded 15 million units, with the sales revenue nearing 59 billion yuan (8.5 billion U.S. dollars).

Offline sales accounted for nearly 80 percent of the total, showing a year-on-year increase of 20 percent.

The trade-in program has not only boosted offline physical retail but also stimulated consumption in fields such as entertainment, transportation and catering, creating a positive cycle where trade-ins drive customer flow and diversify revenue streams.

The data showed that green and smart products have been particularly popular among customers. In January, online sales of Grade 1 energy efficiency water heaters and television sets increased by 35.7 percent and 28.9 percent year-on-year, respectively.

Mid-to-high-end mobile phones accounted for over 70 percent of the total phone sales.

Smart glasses, included in the subsidy program for the first time, achieved sales of about 7.12 million yuan (1.04 million U.S. dollars) during the month.

China's trade-in program stimulates sales of digital, smart products