Organizers of the 2025 Spring Festival Gala have revealed some of the main inspirations behind the songs they helped co-create for the hours-long television extravaganza that have strongly resonated with viewers around the world.
Every autumn, several months prior to the Gala, China Media Group will invite outstanding composers from various fields to participate in a discussion where they share their inspirations for creating music for the event.
At this year's discussion, the song "What If" resonated with many audiences, encapsulating their life experiences and emotions.
"We all have our own 'what ifs' in life. During our discussion, the lyricist Tang Tian was with us and she also found the topic very compelling. So we decided to explore the possibility of writing a good and heartfelt song on this topic," said Zhang Yifan, director of the song program of the Gala.
In the performance of the song "My Gifts from the World," Hong Kong's iconic singer Faye Wong opened the show within a space simulating the semi-circular dome of the sky and the square earth. Utilizing advanced technology, the stage showcased astrological phenomena, including a starry sky and meteor showers, immersing the audience in a mysterious universe.
"In the song 'My Gifts from the World', we wanted to convey the Chinese people's perspectives on the universe and the world in the simplest way possible. We chose the concept of a round sky and a square ground. Faye Wong performed on a floating stage powered by naked-eye 3D technology, and the entire galaxy was projected onto the stage through virtual technology," said Jiang Yuhao, visual director for the Gala.
The lyrics have also been refined to emphasize the indomitable spirit and tenacity of life.
"At the end of the song, the original lyrics were 'the departed have gone to a distant place, may he be assured'. We changed 'assured' to 'at peace', resulting in the final version 'may he be at peace'. We communicated with the composer and the singer, and we felt that the expression 'at peace' is indeed more fitting for song," said Zhang.
The Spring Festival Gala, also known as "Chunwan" in Chinese, has been a tradition since 1983, airing live on the eve of the Chinese New Year. It has become a staple of the country's largest annual holiday celebrations, with millions of households tuning in.
The 2025 Spring Festival Gala was broadcasted live to audiences worldwide at 20:00 Beijing time on Tuesday.
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Organizers reveal lyrical inspirations of Spring Festival Gala songs