CMG Lantern Festival gala set to air with surprises in store

The China Media Group (CMG)'s 2025 Lantern Festival Gala, one of the premier television events on China's entertainment calendar, is set to air at 20:00 Beijing time on Wednesday, offering a vibrant array of performances showcasing the richness of traditional Chinese culture.

The Lantern Festival, observed on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, lands on Wednesday this year, and symbolizes the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

First broadcast in 1985, this year's Lantern Festival Gala is again staging a whole host of entertaining variety performances including energetic song and dances, comedy sketches, as well as traditional operas and acrobatics displays, all of which showcase China's unique cultural charm.

In addition, the show will also highlight the traditional customs of the Lantern Festival, such as viewing spectacularly-designed lanterns, guessing riddles and eating glutinous rice dumplings, helping reflect a joyful and festive atmosphere.

The show's director revealed that Wednesday night's broadcast is also set to reprise several popular acts which starred during this year's Spring Festival Gala, which was held on the eve of the Chinese New Year and broadcast in front of a huge global audience.

"At the show, hosts, along with guests, performers and audience, will guess riddles and celebrate the Lantern Festival together. Viewers will be able to see intangible cultural craftsmanship, and glutinous rice dumplings made at the scene. There will also some of the punchlines from this year's Spring Festival Gala, serving as a 'call back'," said Yu Lei, chief director of the CMG's 2025 Lantern Festival Gala.

Zhou Shen, an acclaimed singer who is set to appear in the gala, says he hopes to share the festive spirit of this important annual occasion.

"This time, I will present a very dreamy and warm song. I feel quite festive every time I perform for the audience on the stage of the Lantern Festival Gala. It makes me feel like I am celebrating the festival with everyone," said Zhou.

Meanwhile, another surprise is in store, especially for film fans, as a special segment themed on the wildly popular Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" is set to feature during the CMG gala.

The movie has shattered box office records since being released during the recent Spring Festival holiday, and has already amassed over 9.2 billion yuan (about 1.3 billion U.S. dollars) and attracted over 187 million viewers -- numbers that have not only outpaced those of all other movies screened in China, but also rivaled the success of some of Hollywood's biggest hits.

Chinese rock star Zhang Wei (Wowkie Zhang), along with Lyu Yanting, the actress who voices the titular character 'Ne Zha' in the film, will perform a duet accompanied by a troupe of child dancers, in what is sure to be one of the gala's most unmissable acts.

"Since Ne Zha is so widely loved by everybody, I will use his voice to sing this song. There will be many children dressed up like Ne Zha, which will make a lively and joyful atmosphere," said Lyu.

CMG Lantern Festival gala set to air with surprises in store

The new China-Mongolia cross-border railway is expected to serve as a new bridge for boosting connectivity between the two countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in Beijing on Thursday.

China and Mongolia held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday to mark the official launch of construction on the Gantsmod–Gashuunsukhait rail project, which will be the second cross-border rail link between the two countries.

Lin said at a regular press briefing that the railway would inject new momentum into the development of China-Mongolia bilateral relations.

"On May 14, China and Mongolia held a ceremony to mark the official groundbreaking of the Gantsmod-Gashuunsukhait cross-border railway, which is the second cross-border railway between the two countries. Expanding cooperation in key areas such as economy and trade, energy, mining and connectivity is an important common understanding between President Xi Jinping and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh. In February this year, Premier Li Qiang and Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene jointly witnessed the exhibiting of the cooperation agreement on the Gantsmod-Gashuunsukhait railway and coal trade," said Lin.

"The construction of this cross-border railway is not only a concrete step of implementing the important common understanding between the presidents of the two countries, but also an important action to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and Mongolia's Steppe Road Program. We hope this railway will serve as a new bridge for China-Mongolia connectivity, fostering deeper development integration, promoting industrial synergy, and expanding visits and exchanges, thereby injecting new impetus in to the building of a China-Mongolia community with a shared future," he said.

New cross-border railway to enhance connectivity between China, Mongolia: FM spokesman