A dynamic fusion of dance and symphony amazed viewers with innovative stage designs and modern aesthetics during the China Media Group's (CMG) 2026 Spring Festival Gala as audiences celebrated the arrival of the Year of the Horse on Tuesday.
The hours-long gala had began earlier on Monday evening on the eve of the Chinese New Year, with a carefully curated line-up of performances and variety acts guiding viewers towards the new year.
The performance named "New Voices of Spring" brought together the classical sounds of a symphony orchestra and the kinetic pulse of street dance, merging the elegance of the waltz with the playfulness of modern choreography.
The stunning show presented a fun and light-hearted expression of spring exuberance.
The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional holiday for the Chinese people, and watching the Spring Festival Gala, also known as "Chunwan," is a cherished part of the celebrations every year in hundreds of millions of Chinese homes.
Since first being broadcast in 1983, the gala has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-watched annual television program on the planet.
The Spring Festival itself was recently inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Chinese New Year's Day falls on Tuesday this year, ushering in the Year of the Horse.
Dynamic fusion of dance, symphony lights up Spring Festival Gala
Dynamic fusion of dance, symphony lights up Spring Festival Gala
Chinese President Xi Jinping awarded Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic the Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China in Beijing on Monday.
As solemn music played and the golden doors slowly opened, Xi and Vucic entered the hall together, followed by Xi's wife Peng Liyuan and Vucic's wife Tamara Vucic.
Applauding guests rose to their feet, and paid respect to the two heads of state.
A Guard of Honor escorted the Friendship Medal into the hall, and amid solemn music, Xi formally presented the medal to Vucic.
Xi highlighted Vucic's long-standing commitment to advancing China-Serbia friendship and underscored the significance of the honor.
"President Vucic has long stayed committed to China-Serbia friendship, and he has always given China the firmest and clearest support on issues concerning China's core interests and major concerns. He gains the respect from the Chinese people. This medal is not only a high recognition of President Vucic's contributions to bilateral friendship, but also carries the earnest expectations of both peoples for building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era," Xi said.
The Friendship Medal is China's highest state honor for foreigners, reserved for those who have made outstanding contributions to China's modernization drive, promoting exchange and cooperation between China and the world, and safeguarding world peace.
At the invitation of Xi, Vucic is on a state visit to China from Sunday to Thursday, with this marking his first state visit to China and his ninth trip to the country overall.
Xi awards Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic China's friendship medal
