The 2025 Spring Festival Gala sub-venue in Wuhan of Hubei Province on Tuesday night delivered a spectacular set of performances showcasing the city's vitality as a key hub in the heart of China.
Hosted by the China Media Group (CMG), the gala this year features four sub-venues in addition to the main stage in Beijing, namely Chongqing Municipality, Lhasa City in Xizang Autonomous Region, Wuhan City in Hubei Province, and Wuxi City in Jiangsu Province.
As a key junction city in central China, the gala showed off Wuhan's charm with scenes depicting its bustling night-life and vibrant culture, with ferries sailing on the Yangtze River.
With its grand stage set next to the city's landmark Yellow Crane Tower, the Wuhan sub-venue presented a host of high energy performances, including an opera performance blending different styles of traditional Chinese operas harmoniously together, as well as engaging dance routines, innovative presentations of acrobatics, and music played on the Guqin, a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument originating from the region.
The annual gala, also known as "Chunwan," was first broadcast in 1983 and is seen as a major cultural symbol for Spring Festival celebrations in China.
Recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's most-watched annual TV program, the hours-long television extravaganza attracts over a billion views every year.
The 2025 Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, falls on Wednesday this year, ushering in the Year of the Snake.
Wuhan showcases vitality as sub-venue of Spring Festival Gala
Wuhan showcases vitality as sub-venue of Spring Festival Gala
The Spring Festival Gala has become an indispensable part of the Chinese New Year celebrations, as the fantastic program reached audiences far beyond the Chinese mainland, from bustling Hong Kong to snowy Stockholm.
Produced by China Media Group (CMG) and aired on Tuesday, this year's gala has also been well received by audiences around the globe.
In the Chinese Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, watching the Spring Festival Gala has become a must for many local families in addition to eating New Year's Eve dinner.
"The Spring Festival Gala seems to be an indispensable dish of the New Year's Eve dinner. It brings a sense of ceremony for the New Year's Eve dinner and makes the New Year's Eve more complete," said a local resident.
"The Spring Festival Gala is getting better and better each year. There are many new faces that young people like us are familiar with, and popular stars. And the singing and dancing performances are also much more innovative. The stage design is even more impressive. In a word, the Spring Festival Gala is really getting more and more exciting," said another local resident.
Across continents in Swedish capital of Stockholm, members with the Chinese proficiency competition "Chinese Bridge" Club in Stockholm and the Beijing natives association gathered together to watch the live broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala and to embrace the festive spirit. Dressed in traditional Chinese costumes, the club members also took part in writing the Chinese character of "fu" which symbolizes good fortune.
"I think it's quite meaningful to watch CMG's Spring Festival Gala here in Stockholm. The Chinese New Year is a festival for everyone. We gather to eat dumplings, celebrate together, and watch the gala. It brings the atmosphere of spring to the Swedish winter," said a member with the club.
"In Sweden, we love chorus singing, so the chorus performances in the gala are probably my favorite. But all of the performances are amazing. And I think this year's gala is even better than before," said another member with the club.
The Spring Festival Gala is broadcast annually on the eve of the Chinese New Year on CMG's flagship CCTV-1 and internationally through the China Global Television Network (CGTN). The gala has the largest audience of any entertainment shows in the world and is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's most watched television program.
The 2025 version of the very gala is the first one since the Spring Festival was officially recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an intangible cultural heritage last month.
Global audiences celebrate Chinese New Year with Spring Festival Gala