China Media Group (CMG) on Saturday staged a special gala to celebrate the 100th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with an all-star cast presenting diverse performances.

The gala titled "The Centennial Tribute" is a creative show full of technological and artistic creativity, blending an art exhibition with live performances and drama skits.

A total of 14 oil paintings, which depict key figures, critical events and moments in the past century and mark the tremendous changes and great achievements of the nation, were on display on the stage that has been transformed into a virtual gallery through cutting-edge technology and stunning stage designs.

Veteran actors such as Sun Honglei, Xu Fan and He Bing, and renowned CMG anchors like Kang Hui, were invited to be the narrators, telling the true stories behind the artworks.

The show also featured diverse performances of singing, dancing and drama, showcasing several popular songs and traditional folk music, such as the 1974 folk song "Red Azalea" and 2008 Beijing Olympics theme song "You and Me."

Celebrated actor and singer Andy Lau, together with pop diva Na Ying, performed the classic song "The Pearl of the Orient" again after 24 years. 

The two singers collaborated to sing the song in 1997 when Hong Kong was returned from British colonial rule to China, and since then, the song has been enjoying great popularity.

The hashtag about two music icons' collaboration after 24 years soon became a trending topic on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo, accumulating over 110 million views and 35,000 posts within 12 hours. Many netizens were saying they felt deeply resonated with the piece.

In addition to the touching performance, the Saturday night show also saw some rising stars like Lay Zhang and Wang Yibo present classic pieces, generating many heated discussions on social media.

The special gala on-air Saturday night on CMG's mandarin channel CCTV-3 offered a panoramic view of the course of the CPC over the past century and is an ode to the country and its people ahead of the 100th anniversary of the CPC founding on Thursday, July 1.

(Cover: Young actors Zhou Dongyu (R-3) and Wang Yibo (R-4) perform at the gala in Beijing, China, June 26, 2021. /CMG)