Every year, on the eve of Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year celebrations, almost every Chinese family will sit together and enjoy the Spring Festival Gala, a TV programme produced by the China Media Group.
It has since grown to be a tradition of Chinese people, whether at home in China or overseas.
The 2024 Spring Festival Gala achieved a total audience of 14.2 billion, with over 2,300 media outlets in 200+ countries and regions synchronously broadcasting and reporting on it.
Since its inception in 1983, the Spring Festival Gala has been a must-watch for Chinese people, uniting families in front of screens to welcome the new year with excitement and anticipation.
This year’s Spring Festival Gala attracted a worldwide audience due to various factors:
- The main venue in Beijing, along with parallel venues in Xi’an, Changsha, Shenyang, and Kashgar, connected for simultaneous performances, providing a nationwide spectacle.
- The Gala adopted an increasingly international approach, featuring a mesmerizing French musical excerpt “Belle” and a cross-border interactive song “Share,” symbolizing the festive spirit globally.
- Xi’an incorporated traditional Chinese elements through a fusion of real and virtual, featuring animated historical figures like Li Bai from the film “Chang’an 30,000 Miles” reciting ancient Chinese poetry. The use of AI and real-time AR rendering created a visually stunning virtual space.
- Advanced technologies such as 5G were extensively employed, ensuring stable, high-definition broadcasts across the four venues. Cutting-edge robot arms were programmed to perform alongside actors and singers, creating a seamless blend of technology and artistry.
- Emphasizing a people-centric approach, the gala showcased ordinary individuals as protagonists, like a construction worker who likes playing piano on the street and a 7-year-old girl from Chongqing. This reinforced the idea of the “People’s Gala” by celebrating the achievements of everyday people.
- The gala’s global reach was evident with over 2300 media outlets in 200+ countries and regions broadcasting and reporting synchronously. Public screens in 49 countries and 90 cities, including Nairobi, and Kenya, featured live broadcasts and promotional videos, spreading the festive atmosphere worldwide.
This year and last year, the residents of Nairobi could enjoy the Gala at a lot of places in the city. For example, if you were walking inside Sarit Center, you could watch the Gala live on the screen.
As the UN general assembly last year adopted the Lunar New Year as a floating holiday of the UN, the internationalization of CMG’s Spring Festival Gala showcasing Chinese culture and new technologies on the global stage, attracted more and more people to enjoy the festival together with Chinese people.
Ms. Zhao Qian is a Chinese Journalist for China Media Group based in Nairobi
