The China Media Group (CMG)'s 2025 Lantern Festival Gala on Wednesday evening transported viewers back in time with a nostalgic song depicting local life in the city of Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, which served as one of the show's sub-venues.
The ballad, jointly performed in the Wuhan dialect by local singer Feng Xiang alongside singing star Steve Chou from China's Taiwan region, harked back to life by the riverside in Wuhan during the 1960s and 1970s with seasonal flowers, tea vendors and other distinctive elements synonymous with daily life in the city back then.
The ensemble piece later reached its climax with a choir of singers joining the main duo, before a dazzling series of traditional lion dances, acrobatics, magic shows and other action-packed elements culminated in spectacular fireworks and a shining full moon over the Yangtze River.
In addition to the main stage in Beijing, Wuhan was one of the four sub-venues of this year's gala, with the other three being the bustling southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, the ancient city of Lhasa in the Xizang Autonomous Region and the historic water town of Wuxi in east China's Jiangsu Province. First broadcast in 1985, this year's Lantern Festival Gala again staged a whole host of entertaining variety performances including energetic song and dances, comedy sketches, as well as traditional operas and magic shows, highlighting China's unique cultural charm.
The Lantern Festival, observed on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, lands on Feb 12 this year, and marks the conclusion of the country's Spring Festival celebrations, which center around the Chinese New Year.
Nostalgic ballad depicting life in Wuhan takes viewers back time at Lantern Festival Gala
