China Media Group (CMG)'s Spring Festival Gala sought to promote the stories and highlight the everyday contributions of ordinary people from all walks of life, while also delivering a show that struck a chord with the general public, according to the gala's chief director.
The grand gala broadcast served up a more than four-hour-long feast of captivating cultural performances and entertaining variety acts to audiences tuning in from all around the world as people celebrated the arrival of the Chinese New Year on Tuesday, with this year marking the Year of the Horse.
As well as featuring many star performers and acclaimed artists, the Spring Festival Gala stage has long been open to people from all walks of life, and aimed to shine a light on the lives and achievements of people from all backgrounds.
Among the many acts was a micro music drama which invited the champions of the WorldSkills Competition -- an international event testing competitors' skills across a variety of vocational and technical fields -- to display their exquisite skills, demonstrating the spirit of craftsmanship and the qualities of perseverance, dedication, meticulousness.
One of the other highlights was a stunning musical chorus number featuring a talented choir consisting of ordinary villagers and farmers from one of China's agricultural heartlands.
The performers, who hail from the rural Dazhanchang Town of Zhongwei City in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, graced the stage alongside veteran Chinese pop music duo Phoenix Legend, to deliver an uplifting song about sharing in the joy of a fruitful harvest.
The colorful segment took viewers on a journey to experience a bountiful autumn harvest with baskets brimming with grain, golden rice stalks and fiery red chilies -- one of the region's signature culinary ingredients.
"What we wanted to express is the contribution that we, a group of farmers in the countryside in the new era, can make to rural revitalization," said a member of the farmers' choir.
Yu Lei, chief director of the 2026 CMG Spring Festival Gala, explained how the organizers wanted to ensure the contributions of people across every field would be seen and remembered by audiences.
"It's the people's Spring Festival Gala, meaning that many people [from all walks of life] have been invited to perform directly on the stage, including farmers, workers, scientists, and young industrial workers -- everyone together can join in the celebrations," she said.
Several full-scale rehearsals were held in the lead up to the big night on Monday, and a select number of people were invited to attend and get a glimpse of the show, making them feel like a part of the event.
"The live performances of the Spring Festival create such excitement, that really gets your heart pounding. It's really powerful, with all the visual and auditory effects. Some of the comedy sketches made me feel like I was right there, and I could really empathize with the characters, so I even shed some tears at that moment," said Shao Nan, a community police officer.
The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional holiday in China. Watching the Spring Festival Gala, or "Chunwan," remains a longstanding New Year's Eve tradition for hundreds of millions of families.
First broadcast in 1983, the gala has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's most-watched annual television program.
The Spring Festival itself was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024.
Spring Festival Gala sought to share stories of ordinary people, strike chord with public: chief director
