Seventy-year-old author Wang Yuzhen, whose heartfelt memoirs about her late husband have moved millions of readers, was invited to attend a rehearsal of the CMG's 2026 Spring Festival Gala on Sunday, where she experienced the festive atmosphere firsthand.
The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional holiday for the Chinese people, and watching the live broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala on the eve of the Spring Festival is a cherished part of the celebrations in hundreds of millions of Chinese homes.
During the fourth rehearsal of the Spring Festival Gala, the event's outreach program "Spring Festival Gala Is Waiting for You" has been inviting representatives from the public to take seats in the audience and experience the festive atmosphere of the country's most-watched cultural event.
Among them is Wang, a retired teacher from north China's Hebei Province, who wrote about her late husband a little over a year ago.
The touching story soon drew widespread attention online, and her works were later compiled into a book and published.
Wang said that the festive spirit at the gala rehearsal provided her with inspiration to continue writing.
"Watching it live on site, I felt it was truly wonderful. There was a sense of grandeur, like thousands of horses galloping forward, and at the same time there was the calmness and gentle beauty of the grasslands. The programs I watched included themes related to agriculture and industry, and they felt very down-to-earth," said Wang.
"After watching the Spring Festival Gala rehearsal, I will go back and immediately write an article to share my feelings with my online followers. I will also incorporate what I experienced and felt today into my future writing and literary works," added the author.
The "Spring Festival Gala Is Waiting for You" initiative will continue to invite inspiring members of the public to step closer to the gala stage, as people across the country prepare to welcome the Year of the Horse.
This year's gala will be broadcast live around the world in a week.
Elderly writer gains inspiration at "down-to-earth" Spring Festival Gala rehearsal
Spanish students have expressed their expectation that a healthy China-U.S. economic and trade relationship will inject greater stability into the global economy and create greater opportunities for Spain.
On Sunday, Chinese and U.S. delegations convened in Paris, France for talks on economic and trade issues. Guided by the consensus reached by the two heads of state in Busan and their subsequent phone talks, the two sides will conduct consultations on economic and trade matters of mutual concern.
Ahead of the talks, members of the public in Madrid, Spain, shared their views on China–U.S. economic and trade relations with China Media Group (CMG). They agreed that reaching an agreement between the world’s two largest economies would have a direct impact on the global landscape.
"They are the two countries that contribute the most economically, in a manner of speaking, to the rest of the countries. They are major importers and exporters. So I think that a satisfactory relationship between them can be very beneficial for all other countries," said Claudia, an engineering student.
Noting that both sides are important trading partners of Spain, the interviewees stated that a healthy, stable and sustainable China-U.S. economic and trade relationship also affects various aspects of the Spanish society, and that agreements between the two countries would help promote Spain's economic growth.
"I do think that it could have a certain effect on the Spanish economy, both in terms of prices, and I would dare say employment as well. Because I think that if those two great powers reach an agreement, Spain could also get in on the action. It would create quite a few jobs in Chinese and American multinationals for all Spaniards," said Claudia.
"Spain is caught in the middle; it has good relations with both the U.S. and China. If it gets on the bad side of either one, it could be hit hard, because Spain mainly relies on tourism -- well, other things too, but essentially tourism, construction and agriculture. It's very important to have more help and trade with all countries around the world," said Denis, a law student.
Spanish students say stable China-US ties benefit global economy
