CMG Mid-Autumn Festival Gala to offer innovative presentation of traditional culture

The China Media Group (CMG)'s Mid-Autumn Festival Gala is set to dazzle audiences with an innovative presentation of traditional Chinese culture, integrating distinctive Chinese aesthetics into its eye-catching stage and costume designs.

The annual gala broadcast, also known as "Qiuwan" in Chinese, is being staged in Shenyang in northeast China's Liaoning Province, and is scheduled to be aired at 20:00 Tuesday, on the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrating the traditional moon-themed festival.

Hosts and performers will appear at the gala adorning an array of Chinese-style clothing, featuring embroidery, knot button, stand-up collar and diagonal plackets.

"I like today's costume very much. It's pastel pink, which is very gentle, and it has embroidery on it. I sing the song in a pavilion by the water, just like presenting a beautiful painting to the audience," said Jin Chen, an actress and a performer at the gala.

In addition, ancient Chinese paintings will be presented to viewers with the help of artificial intelligence and other media technologies, creating a visual treat to those tuning in from around the world.

"The special effects presented with digital 3D modeling will allow the audience to feel like they are right at the scene. This provides a medium for our projection to present a multi-layered picture. By combining the Chinese aesthetics and the modern twists with such patterns, [3D] modeling and stage settings, we hope to integrate these Chinese elements into the stage creation and present it to the Chinese people around the world," said Wang Chen, chief stage design of the gala. The gala will take place at the picturesque Dingxiang Lake Park, situated by Shenyang's largest urban lake, combining traditional Chinese culture with the local color and charm of the city, and will be available to watch via various CMG channels and on other new media platforms.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional annual festivity in China with a history dating back more than a millennium. It centers around the moon and a good harvest, and is a time for family members and friends to reunite, eat mooncakes, and appreciate the full moon.

CMG Mid-Autumn Festival Gala to offer innovative presentation of traditional culture

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday slashed interest rates by 50 basis points amid cooling inflation and a weakening labor market, marking the first rate cut in over four years.

"The Committee has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2 percent, and judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are roughly in balance," the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the central bank's policy-setting body, said in a statement.

"In light of the progress on inflation and the balance of risks, the Committee decided to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/2 percentage point to 4-3/4 to 5 percent," the FOMC said.

This signals the start of an easing cycle. Starting from March 2022, the Fed had raised rates consecutively for 11 times to combat inflation not seen in forty years, pushing the target range for the federal funds rate up to between 5.25 percent and 5.5 percent, the highest level in over two decades.

After maintaining rates at the high level for over a year, the Fed's tight monetary policy faced pressure to pivot due to the easing of inflationary pressures, signs of weakening in the job market, and slowing economic growth.

U.S. Fed slashes rates by 50 basis points, first rate cut in four years