The creators of the China Media Group (CMG) 2026 Spring Festival Gala have unveiled the sources of their inspirations and the technologies they utilized to craft a grand variety show that not only resonates with the audience but also delivers immersive visual experiences.
For many, the Year of the Horse officially began with the opening notes of China Media Group (CMG)'s Spring Festival Gala. This annual cultural spectacle reached far beyond Beijing, with four sub-venues weaving together a vibrant tapestry of Chinese tradition in real time.
Among these, Harbin's segment, titled "Warm World of Ice and Snow," transformed the city's Ice-Snow World theme park into an unprecedented, breathtaking television studio. Behind all the glittering lights lay a story of homecoming, childhood wonder, and technological marvels that reached all the way to space.
The segment opened with a taxi winding through Harbin's neon-lit streets. Inside, actress Song Jia, a Harbin native, sat beside young star Zeng Mumei, her scene partner from the 2024 blockbuster "Her Story." This time, their roles were more personal: a mother introducing her daughter to her own hometown for the first time.
"We wanted to tell the story through a mother from Harbin and her child visiting for the first time. Through the child's innocent eyes, and by following the journey of what she feels, experiences, hears, and sees with her mother, we can offer the audience a more direct, personal perspective. This allows everyone to truly feel the unique characteristics and spirit of the city that we aim to showcase," said Zhang Ji, head of the Harbin sub-venue production for CMG's 2026 Spring Festival Gala.
What followed was Harbin's signature landmarks and flavors: the Central Street, the Chinese-Baroque Historic Block, Modern ice cream, and Guo Bao Rou (Fried Crispy Sweet and Sour Pork in Scoop). But the sequence that melted hearts across social media arrived when the ice city's iconic "giant snowman" seemed to spring to life. In what viewers have dubbed the "most romantic moment" of the night, the snow figure gracefully danced across ice with the girl.
"When we saw the snowman, we knew we had to feature it. That's when we thought of the classic Chinese animated film 'Snow Kid.' Using modern technology, we brought the snowman to life. Through this magical element, we transformed Qunli Music Park into an ice rink, creating a romantic, heartwarming scene of two figures dancing together on ice," said Zhang.
The city's warmth extended beyond Earth's atmosphere. In a tribute to both Harbin's UNESCO designation as a "City of Music" and the 70th anniversary of China's space program, researchers at Harbin Institute of Technology orchestrated something extraordinary: a satellite performance.
"Our thoughts naturally turned to the Dongfanghong-1, the satellite that first broadcast the song 'Dongfanghong' (The East Is Red) from space down to Earth. So to honor both themes, we chose an ultra-wide micro-nano satellite. Using in-orbit programming technology that allows us to partially modify the satellite's functions while in space, we first encoded 'Dongfanghong,' then uploaded the song to the satellite via over 700 commands, and finally transmitted it back down through telemetry," said Qiu Shi from the HIT Satellite Technology Institute.
The centerpiece of Harbin's presentation was the custom-built main stage within Harbin Ice-Snow World, a marvel of engineering that featured 10 colossal snowflake sculptures and ice crafted specifically to magnify projections, blurring the boundary between nature and spectacle.
"We created 10 snowflakes, each made from a special steel mesh material to achieve that crystalline transparency. We also put a lot of thought into crafting the ice. During the freezing process, we added a white dye so the ice could serve as a better medium for projection, resulting in a dreamy, crystal-clear visual effect," said Cao Tianshu, production director of the Harbin sub-venue for CMG's 2026 Spring Festival Gala.
And audiences responded in record numbers. By 08:00 Tuesday, the 2026 Spring Festival Gala had reached over 23 billion views across Chinese media, with peak online viewership surpassing 400 million. Television ratings soared to their highest in over a decade, and international reach hit an all-time high at 2.4 billion viewers.
Spring Festival gala creators share inspirations and tech behind world's most watched variety show
