Spring Festival Gala |

Tribute to Medical Staff Steals the Show at Spring Festival Gala

Jan 28, 2020 / Chinasplaining /

Performances for the world’s most-watched television event are usually planned months in advance, but the most memorable one this year was a last-minute addition in light of the ongoing public health crisis. Read More

Short-Video App Kuaishou Takes on China’s Tech Giants for the Lunar New Year

Jan 14, 2020 / CBI /

Over the past five years, China’s Spring Festival holiday has become a battleground among the country’s biggest internet companies, and as new technologies such as short video become increasingly popular, the fronts are shifting. Read More

Headlines from China: ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Rumored to Release in China and the U.S. Simultaneously

Nov 26, 2019 / Headlines From China /

If the rumor turns out to be true, this will be the first Star Wars film to be released in China day and date with North America. In the past, Star Wars movies were usually released in China one month after its North American opening. Read More

Spring Festival Gala 2019: More Idols, Fewer Foreigners, and No Pigs

Feb 8, 2019 / TV /

The world's "most-watched" TV program was a dull slog in 2019, as its struggle for relevancy in modern China becomes increasingly difficult. Read More

CCTV Partners with Baidu for Spring Festival Hongbao, Excludes Alibaba, Tencent

Jan 23, 2019 / News /

Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) has partnered with tech giant Baidu to distribute “red packets” during the world’s most-watched television show of the year—the Spring Festival Gala. Read More

China’s Spring Festival Gala Is a Catwalk for Foreign Luxury Brands

Feb 21, 2018 / Celebrity /

Chinese celebrities who performed at this year’s Lunar New Year Gala were seen in luxury brands including Valentino, Gucci, and Hugo Boss. Read More

Headlines From China: What’s Special About The Chinese New Year Gala?

Feb 12, 2018 / Chinasplaining /

Staged live on every Chinese New Year's Eve, the Chinese New Year Gala’s long-lived success can be attributed to the fact that it has become a ritual and tradition for many to watch the show on Chinese New Year's eve. Read More

‘The Return of the Pearl Princess’ Returns to Hunan TV, Again

Feb 8, 2018 / News /

Hunan TV’s screening of 20-year-old series rekindles memories just in time for the holidays. Read More

Lawyer Sues Beijing TV for Making Fun of Henan Province

Feb 9, 2017 / Legal /

Henan in central China is the butt of everyone’s jokes. Others around the country look down on Henan as the home of liars, lunatics, and thieves who will even steal the covers off manholes. Now, one Henanese lawyer has had enough. Read More

Lip-Syncing, Sexism Dominate Spring Festival Gala Criticism

Jan 28, 2017 / News /

The world’s most watched broadcast has been losing viewers for years, and the 2017 edition didn’t win any back. Year in year out, the Spring Festival Gala hosted by China’s state broadcaster CCTV is a chance for the country’s ruling Communist Party to stoke patriotic sentiment, praise ethnic unity, and flex military muscle. It’s also Read More

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