An event to promote China Media Group's (CMG) 2026 Spring Festival Gala broadcast was held in Moscow, Russia on Tuesday, bringing together more than 1,000 people for cultural exchange.
The "Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala -- The World Watches the CMG Gala Together" event was jointly hosted by the CMG and the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia.
Shen Haixiong, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and president of the CMG, addressed the event via video link, vowing to present a cultural feast in 85 foreign languages to global audiences through the innovative application of "5G+4K/8K+AI" technologies.
Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui, Russian President's special envoy for relations with international organizations to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and the Russian chair of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development Boris Titov, along with several other senior Russian officials, also delivered speeches at the event.
During the event, Russian artist Anna Donchenko presented the CMG with a Chinese painting themed on the upcoming Chinese New Year -- which is a Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac -- on behalf of the Russian-China Friendship Committee.
The event also featured dance and music performances staged by the Russian National Ballet "Kostroma" and Chinese artists, as well as an exhibition and interaction area showcasing the CMG's creative cultural products and Chinese New Year customs, such as couplets, paper-cutting, sugar painting, and ethnic costumes to offer the guests a unique cultural experience.
The CMG has held "Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala" events around the world for three years in a row.
Recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's most-watched TV program, 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.
This year's Gala broadcast, ushering in the Year of the Horse, will begin at 20:00 Beijing time on Feb 16 and will be aired across multiple platforms, including CMG's 4K UHD channel, its 8K UHD channel, and various new media platforms.
The English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian-language channels of China Global Television Network (CGTN), along with 85 foreign language communication platforms, will cooperate with more than 3,300 overseas media outlets in over 200 countries and regions around the world in broadcasting and reporting on the gala.
CMG 2026 Spring Festival Gala broadcast promoted at event in Russia
CMG 2026 Spring Festival Gala broadcast promoted at event in Russia
South China's Guangdong Province is accelerating its transformation into an international medical tourism hub, positioning itself as a destination for patients worldwide seeking affordable, high-quality care.
The push follows a joint initiative announced in late March by nine Chinese government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, aimed at boosting spending by foreign tourists and enhancing exports of tourism services as part of broader efforts to expand the country's service sector.
Every day, some of the most complex surgeries are performed here. Li Zilun, deputy director of the division of vascular surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University, is among the doctors capable of carrying out these intricate procedures.
He recently completed surgery on a patient with an aortic aneurysm, a condition often described as a "time bomb" in the body’s main artery, increasingly common in aging societies around the globe. Li also specializes in highly difficult and pioneering procedures, including repairing leaks caused by failed grafts.
"This was a very challenging case. And then, we implanted the covered stent to eliminate the endoleak. Actually, the outcome was pretty good. The patient will be discharged today," said Li Zilun.
The ability to handle such complex cases -- combining international techniques with domestically produced devices -- is drawing patients from around the world to seek treatment. In addition, high safety standards and low costs are also major draws.
"Our government is encouraging innovation. So, lots of physicians -- including our vascular surgeons -- we are actively involved in the innovation that helps to increase the effectiveness and safety, and also bring down the cost," said Li.
This hospital is one of the first in Guangdong to be designated by the provincial health commission as a pilot site for building an international medical service hub.
The growing number of patients has pushed the hospital to explore new ways to transform every step -- from treatment to payment and everything in between -- into a seamless experience, reducing waiting times and delivering better care for patients.
"I think it's fast. When the patient come here for just about, I think, one week, you can solve the problem," said Xiao Haipeng, president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.
The hospital is also deepening its international cooperation with top-tier medical institutions, including those at Harvard University.
"Not just for China, for the whole globe, we are facing health care challenges -- emerging infectious disease and chronic, lung infectious diseases, and also the aging population, also the shortage of healthcare workforce," said Xiao.
In response to these challenges, China is promoting its own solutions, including aggressive innovation in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven workflows, while stepping up research and development investment and global engagement along the way.
"In recent years, the innovation in Western medicine is dramatically growing. An example of my hospital -- in the past few years, we have 140 innovations and seven of them are international leading innovations," said Xiao.
As global demand for medical tourism grows, China is positioning itself as a new destination. Official data shows that the number of foreign patients in Guangdong increased by 20 percent last year. Among them, the growth in inpatient admissions was even faster, rising by 76 percent.
Guangdong fast-tracks pilot for int'l medical service hub
