A traditional Chinese folk dance themed on orchids enchanted audiences during the China Media Group (CMG)'s Spring Festival Gala which ushered in the Year of the Snake on Wednesday, creating a serene and captivating atmosphere during the festive celebrations.
The grand television show has integrated traditional culture with innovative means to entertain audiences on the eve of the Chinese New Year, with many memorable on-stage performances featuring during the annual variety show.
The orchid has been a favorite flower of the Chinese people since ancient times, as it embodies a quiet, modest character and symbolizes strength and resilience.
The gala performance, which was given by dancers from the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, enthralled viewers with its subtle, rhythmic movements and smooth, graceful transitions.
With the Spring Festival's recent inscription onto UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, this year's gala integrated more elements of intangible cultural heritage to create a cultural feast for global audiences.
The gala, also known as "Chunwan", was first broadcast back in 1983 and is seen as a major cultural symbol for the traditional 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.
Orchid-themed dance performance enchants viewers during Spring Festival Gala
The Chinese mainland's Spring Festival box office revenue, including pre-sales, reached a new high of 3.3 billion yuan (about 460.32 million U.S. dollars) in the ongoing Spring Festival holiday season as of 17:32 local time on Thursday, according to film data platform Maoyan.
According to the platform, China's total box office so far in 2025, including real-time pre-sales, topped 5 billion yuan (about 697.46 U.S. dollars) as of 15:32 local time on Thursday.
The highly anticipated follow-up to the 2019 animated blockbuster "Nezha: Demon Child Conquers the Sea" now grabs the top spot on the box office ranking list, according to the platform.
Six domestic films hit China's cinema screens on Wednesday, also the first day of the 2025 Chinese New Year, spanning a variety of genres including comedy, action, martial arts, science fiction and animation, catering to a wide spectrum of audiences.
The lineup includes the mythological epic "Creation of the Gods II: Demonic Confrontation," the sequel to the highest-grossing animated film in Chinese history "Nezha: Demon Child Conquers the Sea," martial art film "The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero," action comedy "Detective Chinatown 1900," military-themed film "Operation Hadal" and animated feature "Boonie Bears: Future Reborn."
More films in this year's Spring Festival slate focus on enhancing the audience's audio-visual experience than ever before. Among the six films, five are being shown in four different formats, including IMAX, CINITY, Dolby and China Film Giant Screen (CGS), offering more choices to the audience.
"With these audio-visual effects, the movie seems more realistic to viewers, and we can better experience the astonishing scenes. I'm an avid movie fan who watches films every year during the Spring Festival, and I feel that the technologies being used to enhance the viewer's experience become more advanced each year," said a resident from Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province .
"It feels so real, as if we were actually in the movie scene. It's really great," said Qi Fei, resident from Jinan.
In addition to providing a vibrant visual experience, the new movie projection system also helps protect viewers' eyesight.
"The LED screens use blue light technology, which could better protect our eyes while delivering an enhanced viewing experience," said another resident from Jinan.
During the Spring Festival holiday, cinemas across China will make available cinema screening rooms featuring different audio and visual effects to improve viewers' experience.
"For example, we project 'Operation Leviathan' in the IMAX room to get a 26 percent increase in the screening size, to offer a better viewing experience compared to regular theaters. 'Creation of the Gods II: Demonic Confrontation' is screened in a three-screen theater, and "Nezha: Demon Child Conquers the Sea" is shown in a 4D theater. These changes in screening formats provide the audiences with better experience," said Wang Meng from a cinema in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province in northwest China.
More than 860 CINITY screenings, over 1,300 CGS screenings, and 4,540 IMAX screenings were held on Wednesday, according to box office tracker Dengta Data.
By 19:00 local time that day, the IMAX box office revenue surpassed 70 million yuan (around 9.76 million U.S. dollars), nearly doubling the figure for the corresponding period of last year. The box office contribution also increased from 2.8 percent to 4.1 percent, which indicates approval by the audience of the improved audio-visual experience of this year's Spring Festival film releases.
China’s Spring Festival box office reaches new high