The central Chinese city of Zhengzhou has recently launched a film-related consumption promotion campaign designed to boost spending and enrich the festive experiences during the current Chinese New Year holiday.
The campaign features eight themed activities, such as combining movie-going with dining or linking cinema outings to visits at local attractions. By offering discounted tickets and shopping-mall promotions, the campaign aims to build a new consumption ecosystem that encourages movie-goers to extend their spending beyond the cinema into food, travel, and retail.
The campaign runs through the entire nine-day Chinese New Year holiday from February 15 to 23, and will continue until the Lantern Festival -- the finale of the New Year celebrations -- in Zhengzhou, capital of central Henan Province. Zhengzhou is one of the 16 pilot cities for the film-related consumption promotion campaign.
"We come to see an animation film every year. When we come to the cinema to see a film, the shopping mall would offer kind of discounts on our spending in the shopping mall. These activities are really in consideration of consumers' needs and make us happy. It makes the Chinese New Year celebration more cheerful," said Zhang Qinghua, a movie-goer.
Local cinemas also offer film-related super entertainment space, upgrading facilities and joining hands with businesses to provide discounts and themed experiences, hoping to boost consumption experience.
"We coordinate with restaurants and retailers to provide consumers with a range of discounts -- from film seeing to other consumption," said Ma Li, a manager of a local cinema.
"By offering subsidies for movie tickets and discounts through citizen cards, we aim to expand the scale of movie-related consumption. We hope that the small receipts can drive spending, and our goal is to establish a film-related consumption model," said Zhao Bing, head of the film office of the publicity department under the Communist Party of China (CPC) Zhengzhou Municipal Committee.
Film-related spending drives up consumption in central China city during Spring Festival
As another dazzling China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala drew to a close on early Tuesday morning, sign language performers infused the closing song "Unforgettable Tonight" with heartfelt emotion, allowing viewers with disabilities to share in the celebration and experience every touching note alongside millions of families across China.
For four decades, the final moments of the gala have belonged to "Unforgettable Tonight." For generations, the eve of the Chinese New Year isn't complete until its familiar melody fills living rooms. "Unforgettable Tonight" is not just a song but a cherished tradition that carries the weight of a nation's shared memories and hopes.
Inside a modest rehearsal room, the magic of "barrier-free broadcasting" came alive, as the production team worked to ensure that the visually and hearing-impaired could experience the full energy and emotion of the gala, just like everyone else.
"It might look like sign language is just a set of gestures. But it's so much more. It includes facial expressions, the dynamics, and the tempo of each movement. Every detail expresses the rhythms, melodies, and emotions in the music. As you can see, for this year's 'Unforgettable Tonight' with a lighter tone, the performers made it look effortless, swaying gently as they signed. But if the style changes, so does our signing. We can make it powerful too," said Zhao Zhihui, head of barrier-free broadcasting for the gala.
Last year, the team was challenged by an operatic version of the song, and the sign language mirrored the grandeur: delivered with robust energy and the muscular grace of Chinese opera. But in 2026, the approach was intentionally more intimate. Performers strove to capture even the subtlest change in mood.
"When it was the opera version, our signing was powerful and vigorous, capturing the strength and depth of traditional Chinese opera. This year, we wanted every delicate shift on stage to be fully shared by our visually and hearing-impaired audiences," Zhao shared.
During rehearsal, as the melody of "Unforgettable Tonight" flowed through the room and interpreters began their own choreography, the song revealed a beauty beyond sound and lyrics. Their hands, faces, and movements became a new language of expression, resonating with everyone present.
"It's not really about singing a song. It's about channeling all the emotions we've built up through so many years of the Chinese New Year. The gestures required for this song are simple, just a few basic movements. But every time you perform them, it feels different. Especially the final sign, the emotions are always deeper. Because that moment carries several months of hard work. When you finally succeed and think about 'Unforgettable Tonight,' you realize, what is 'tonight'? It's actually the past months of preparation and effort, all leading to that one final moment when we share the Gala's wonderful performances with every single member of our audience," said Zhao.
Sign language performers bring fresh life to beloved song at Spring Festival Gala
