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The 2025 Spring Festival Gala, an annual celebration produced and broadcast by China Media Group, lit up screens on Tuesday, the eve of the Chinese New Year. As people around the world celebrated the most important Chinese festival, centering on family reunions, the gala reached new heights in showcasing human warmth and cultural heritage.
A Heartfelt Gathering
This year’s gala placed a strong emphasis on celebrating the lives and contributions of ordinary people, embodying the idea of “the people’s Spring Festival Gala.” From grassroots police officers and railway crew members to intangible cultural heritage inheritors and famous internet personalities, individuals from all walks of life were invited to share their personal stories and introduce programs.
In a move towards inclusivity, the gala introduced barrier-free broadcasting for visually and hearing-impaired audiences. Utilizing augmented reality (AR) technology and AI voice recognition, sign language interpreters enhanced by AR effects and audio descriptions ensured everyone could experience the festivities.
Bridging Cultures Through Celebration
As the first Spring Festival Gala following UNESCO’s recognition of China’s Spring Festival as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the 2025 edition highlighted China’s rich cultural traditions. The opening spectacle, “Welcoming Fortune,” combined cutting-edge technologies like AR, interactive screens, and naked-eye 3D to present traditional customs and cultural elements from across the nation.
From the vibrant art of paper cutting to copper engraving and “iron flowers”—a dazzling folk art performance where molten iron is cast into the air to create a firework effect—each act was a testament to the diversity of Chinese intangible cultural heritage.
Another standout performance was “The Pillars and Beams,” a song-and-dance act inspired by Beijing’s Central Axis, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2024. Modern digital art brought ancient Chinese architectural structures to viewers in intricate detail, offering an immersive cultural experience.
A Global Celebration
The gala transcended borders, inviting people worldwide to join the celebration. International guests like Evan Kyle, a young American who donated a World War II photo album to China, were in attendance. Performances by foreign musicians, including American rock band OneRepublic singing their hit “Counting Stars,” added to the global flair.
Chinese and Peruvian singers collaborated on “Condor and Lanhuahua,” blending the popular Northern Shaanxi folk song “Lan Huahua” with Peru’s “El Condor Pasa.” Through CGTN and its multilingual platforms, the gala reached viewers in over 200 countries and regions. Live broadcasts in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian, along with coverage by more than 2,900 media outlets, solidified the gala’s role as a cultural bridge.
To celebrate the Year of the Snake, CGTN launched the Snake Year Dance Fun challenge, attracting enthusiastic participation from more than 70 countries and regions. CGTN also hosted its Spring Festival special “Super Night” on Chinese New Year’s Eve, presenting spectacular programs in multiple languages to promote cultural exchange.
