Chinese celebrated actress Tong Liya has been selected as the host for the 2020 Spring Festival Gala, becoming the first actress to host the event in the gala's 37-year history.

Two new faces among the five-member host line-up are Yin Song and Zhang Shuyue, contestants in the ongoing China Media Group (CMG) Hosting Competition. Veteran CMG hosts Nigemaiti Reheman and Ren Luyu will present the gala together.

Produced and broadcast by the CMG, the Spring Festival Gala will be held on Lunar New Year's Eve, January 24, 2020.

A multi-venue plan has been adopted since 2016. This year, the organization has chosen Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as sub-venues, aside from the main venue at its headquarters in Beijing.

Zhang Zequn, Ma Yue, Pang Xiaoge, Mi Na will host the show from the Zhengzhou performance sub-venue.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong actress Myolie Wu, along with Chen Xing, Liu Zhongzhi, Xu Lunan, will be among the hosts at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area sub-venue.

The gala, which is also known as Chunwan in Chinese, is in its 37th edition since its launch in 1983. 

One of the most-watched TV programs in China, the gala features singing, dancing, cross talk, humorous skits and acrobatics. Last year, the gala set a new viewer record of more than 1.17 billion at home and abroad, according to CMG.

(Cover image: The hosts of China Media Group's 2020 Spring Festival Gala. /CGTN Photo)