The China Media Group (CMG) launched a promotional event for the 2026 Spring Festival Gala at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on Friday.
The event was attended by approximately 300 people, including the UN deputy secretary-general and other representatives of UN agencies, permanent representatives and diplomats from various countries to the UN, as well as guests from the cultural, economic, and media sectors of China and the United States.
Attendees at the event noted that the Spring Festival, with a history spanning thousands of years, is a defining cultural symbol of Chinese civilization and a spiritual bond connecting Chinese communities worldwide. Today, nearly 20 countries and regions around the world recognize the Spring Festival as a public holiday, and about one-fifth of the global population celebrates the occasion in various forms.
As the world's most-watched annual cultural television program, the CMG Spring Festival Gala has been held for 43 consecutive years. It has become a "cultural family reunion dinner" for Chinese people at home and abroad, and a window for global audiences to appreciate traditional Chinese culture and witness the vitality of contemporary China.
Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, expressed appreciation for the long-standing support of the Chinese people for multilateralism. She emphasized that in an era marked by uncertainty, dialogue and cooperation remain essential to building a better world. Chinese media organizations, she said, play an important role in conveying the UN's mission and values to audiences in China and beyond.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed and other UN representatives said that the horse in the coming Year of the Horse symbolizes vitality, resilience and progress across many cultures, inspiring confidence in the pursuit of peace, dignity and shared prosperity.
The New York City Children's Chorus and the U.S. national youth wushu team also brought their performances.
With the participation of a robot, representatives from CMG's UN bureau and the New York Film Academy jointly launched the "2026 Global AI Film and Television Works Collection" initiative.
The event received extensive international coverage, with 1,527 mainstream media outlets from 60 countries and regions -- including the Associated Press, Yahoo Finance, Fox Broadcasting Company, Les Echos and Kyodo News -- reporting on the occasion.
The CMG has held the "Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala" event for three years in a row.
The gala, set to be aired on the Chinese New Year's Eve on Feb. 16 this year, will combine traditional Chinese culture with modern stagecraft, as well as cross-cultural performances featuring international artists.
CMG launches Spring Festival Gala promo event at UN headquarters
