China Media Group (CMG) held the first rehearsal for the 2022 Spring Festival Gala on Friday. Following the notion of delivering joy and auspiciousness, the gala highlights the artistic pursuit and technological innovation.

Watching the Spring Festival Gala, or "Chunwan" in Chinese, is an indispensable part of the celebrations for Chinese people to ring in the Lunar New Year.

The upcoming gala will reflect what the country has gone through in the past year and create a happy and festive atmosphere through various performances. Some performances have gained inspiration from traditional Chinese culture, while others found creative elements from people's daily lives.

Meanwhile, cutting-edge technologies have been incorporated in the show, including extended reality (XR) and virtual technology. In addition, a 720-degree curved screen has been specially set up for this year's show to bring an immersive experience to the audience.

In the face of the COVID-19 epidemic, various epidemic prevention measures are implemented to ensure the safety of the performers and the audience.

More rehearsals will take place in the following days. The gala will be aired at 8 p.m. BJT on January 31, 2022, Chinese New Year's Eve.

First broadcast in 1983, the four-hour extravaganza is recognized as the world's most-watched TV show, featuring a mix of performances ranging from singing and dancing, Chinese comedy forms of skits and crosstalk, to acrobatics and magic shows.

(Cover: A poster of the 2022 Spring Festival Gala. /CMG)