China Global Television Network (CGTN) released a video about the morin khuur, also known as the "horsehead fiddle," during its 2026 Spring Festival Gala broadcast on Monday evening.
The feature, aired in a segment titled "Strings of Eternity", paid tribute to the traditional stringed instrument named for the carved horsehead atop its neck. The instrument's sound is said to imitate the wind, the hooves, and the neighing of a horse. It carries the memories of the nomadic Mongolian ethnic group in northern China who make and play these iconic instruments.
The video was one of several cultural features at the annual Spring Festival gala, also known as "Chunwan," which has become a hallmark of Spring Festival celebrations in China.
Recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's most-watched annual television program, the show, which was first broadcast in 1983, attracts more than one billion viewers each year.
Morin khuur heralds dawn of Year of Horse at Spring Festival Gala
A video about a master craftsman and his son making headpieces, or "Kui Mao", for a Wu opera troupe ahead of their Chinese New Year tour was featured in the 2026 Spring Festival Gala broadcast on Monday evening.
The China Global Television Network (CGTN) Super Night segment, titled "The Story of the Kui Mao", showed a story about craftsman Mei Lizhong, who has made these iconic headdresses for over 30 years, and is now passing on the cultural heritage to his son.
Wu Opera, also known as Jinhua Opera, is a time-honored art form from east China's Zhejiang Province.
More than a costume piece, each "Kui Mao" conveys a character's gender, status and personality traits.
Built on a paper-carved frame and adorned with delicate kingfisher feathers and shimmering gold gilding, each detail reveals the character's identity.
The annual gala, also known as "Chunwan," was first broadcast in 1983 and has become a hallmark of Spring Festival celebrations in China.
Recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s most-watched annual television program, the show attracts more than one billion viewers each year.
Craft inheritors prepare headpieces for opera troupe ahead of Spring Festival tour
