CCTV puts new spin on its Spring Festival Gala

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Source: CCTV.com | 02-07-2008 10:41

Harmony and reunion, two perennial themes of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala take a new turn as China enters the Year of the Rat in 2008. Usually the domain of laughter and songs, this new year celebration casts a reflective gaze on Chinese society, mirroring national values of past and present. It will be a four-hour potpourri of song and dance, cross-talk and short sketches.

Actor Wang Baoqiang (C) sings "Song of a Migrant Worker"  at China Central Television's Spring Festival Gala on  Wednesday, February 6, 2008. Watching the live show on  the eve of Spring Festival is an annual tradition for  billions of Chinese. [Photo: cnsphoto]

Wednesday night, the curtain rises on this year's edition of the gala lunar new year celebration on CCTV. This year's presentation features a star-studded line up, gravity-defying dances, mind-blowing acrobatics, and short comedies with laughter written into every expression and gesture. These are the staples of every lunar new year's eve spectacular. This annual addition to family banquets has grown, artfully and arduously, into a traditional New Year's observance for the Chinese audience of 1.3 billion people. That colossal figure also reflects a diversity of taste.

Audience member, said, "language programs are my favorite, especially the White Cloud and Black Earth series by Zhao Benshan and Song Dandan."

"I like solos, especially -- old songs, my favorite stars are Song Zuying and Tan Jing."

The viewing preferences of young and old are an historical problem for programmers. The formula for preparing a program catering to such varied tastes has been a constant challenge for the Spring Festival Gala crew. This year the team is headed by chief director Chen Linchun.