Ordinary people turned online celebrities invited to Spring Festival Gala rehearsals

At the second rehearsal of China Media Group's Spring Festival Gala on January 21, more ordinary people who have become social media sensations were invited to watch the show.

Yi Qunlin, a 58-year-old migrant worker, was one of them. A video of Yi playing the piano on a street in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province went viral on social media last year as people were touched by his enthusiasm despite a life of hard work.

Yi was delighted to receive the invitation to watch the Spring Festival Gala performances. He said he hoped to have the opportunity to seek advice from Chinese pianist Lang Lang. In his reply, Lang praised Yi's love of life and said he also looked forward to meeting him.

Tan Jintao, a panda keeper from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, attended the first rehearsal of the Spring Festival Gala on January 15. Nicknamed "Grandpa Tan," Tan shot to fame when Hua Hua, one of the giant pandas in his care, became a star both at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and online. The interactions between Hua Hua and Tan amused many people. Tan took a toy Hua Hua bear with him to the rehearsal so he could watch the performance "together" with his panda child.

"Spring Festival gala is waiting for you," the project to invite ordinary people turned internet celebrities has become a highlight of this year's Spring Festival Gala. Other accidental internet stars who attended the rehearsals include Liu Ying, a train attendant who shares information about rail travel in humorous videos; Pei Aimin, a farmer nicknamed "Auntie Vole" who loves literature; Ding Xigong, a student at Yunnan Agricultural University who promotes agriculture and agricultural products through online videos; and Shi Jiadong, a photographer who shares the kindness of the world through his lens.