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Chinese classic folklore inspires snake-themed Spring Festival Gala performance

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      China

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      Chinese classic folklore inspires snake-themed Spring Festival Gala performance

      2025-01-29 01:34 Last Updated At:04:27

      A mesmerizing music performance inspired by ancient Chinese folklore was staged during the 2025 Spring Festival Gala on Tuesday night.

      "The Legend of the White Snake" is one of China's most cherished and enduring folk tales, blending romance, tragedy, and supernatural elements. Passed down through generations, it recounts the passionate love between a man named Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen, a white snake spirit who transformed into a beautiful woman.

      The captivating gala performance featured two stars from a classic TV series based on the ancient folklore -- Angie Chiu and Cecilia Yip, who both starred in a 1992 television adaptation and reprised their roles for this year's Spring Festival Gala.

      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, which falls on Wednesday this year, ushering in the Year of the Snake.

      Chinese classic folklore inspires snake-themed Spring Festival Gala performance

      Chinese classic folklore inspires snake-themed Spring Festival Gala performance

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      China’s Spring Festival box office reaches new high

      2025-01-31 06:51 Last Updated At:07:27

      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

      China’s Spring Festival box office reaches new high

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