"Prelude to Spring Festival Gala: The World Watches the CMG Gala Together" events in Russia and Brazil, hosted by China Media Group (CMG), have been held in Moscow and Brasilia, respectively. 

Centered on the Spring Festival, the events featured screenings of promotional videos for the CMG Spring Festival Gala, themed light shows and interactive cultural experiences, offering local audiences a taste of the festive spirit of the Chinese New Year and promoting people-to-people bonds.

Shen Haixiong, vice minister of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and president of CMG, delivered a video speech. Shen pointed out that as the world's most-watched annual cultural event, the CMG Spring Festival Gala has been held for 43 consecutive years, becoming a spiritual feast that strikes a chord with Chinese people at home and abroad.

The Spring Festival is a cultural symbol of Chinese civilization that has endured for thousands of years and a spiritual bond connecting Chinese people around the world, Shen said. Nearly 20 countries and regions have designated the Spring Festival as a public holiday, and about one-fifth of the world's population celebrates it in various ways. More and more people are coming to know China and appreciate Chinese culture through this millennia-old tradition, gaining a deeper understanding of the universal values embodied in the festival, including family harmony, social inclusiveness and harmony between humanity and nature.

This year's CMG Spring Festival Gala will adopt the technological innovations of 5G+4K/8K+AI and fully utilize its communication capabilities in 85 languages, presenting a grand cultural feast for audiences at home and abroad. CMG will also broadcast the gala through the "Hundred Cities, Thousand Screens" project and hold "Prelude to Spring Festival Gala" events in many parts of the world, allowing global audiences to immerse themselves in the joy and festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival Gala.

The Russia event was co-hosted by CMG and the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba. Zhang Hanhui, Chinese ambassador to Russia, noted that this year marks the first year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, as well as the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership, the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia, and the launch year of the China-Russia Year of Education. He said the Spring Festival's themes of renewal and harmony align well with the vigorous momentum of China-Russia relations. The CMG Spring Festival Gala has become a cultural card showing the development vitality and openness and inclusiveness of contemporary China.

Boris Yuryevich Titov, special representative of the president of the Russian Federation for Sustainable Development Goals in Relations with International Organizations and chairman of the Russian Part of the Russia-China Committee on Friendship, Peace and Development, said China-Russia relations have now reached an all-time high, underpinned by profound friendship between the two peoples. He noted that the Spring Festival is celebrated by many in Russia. The CMG Spring Festival Gala, he said, is not only a TV art event, but also a cultural phenomenon connecting the hearts of billions of audiences around the world. It is an important window for the international community to understand China and also showcases China's scientific and technological progress and national development achievements.

Konstantin Ilyich Mogilevsky, deputy minister of science and higher education of the Russian Federation, said the "Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala" event has been incorporated into the framework of the China-Russia Year of Education, reflecting the deepening of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. 

Vladimir Mikhailovich Filippov, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, said the family values and traditional ethics the Spring Festival carries are widely recognized in Russian society today and are becoming a cornerstone of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries in the new era. 

Andrey Yuryevich Rudenko, deputy minister of foreign affairs of the Russian Federation, sent a congratulatory message to the event.

At the event, Russian art groups and Chinese performers jointly staged shows blending dynamic Slavic dance with graceful Eastern rhythms. A special exhibition and interaction area for CMG's cultural and creative products, as well as Chinese New Year customs such as Spring Festival couplets, paper-cuts, sugar paintings and ethnic costumes, was set up at the venue, bringing an immersive cultural experience to the guests.

At the Brazil event, Zhu Qingqiao, Chinese ambassador to Brazil, said the Spring Festival originated in China and is increasingly embraced worldwide. This year will see the launch of the first-ever China-Brazil Year of Culture, accelerating people-to-people exchanges. He noted that China-Brazil relations are at their best in history, and the building of a China-Brazil community with a shared future is gaining strong momentum.

Alexandre Padilha, Brazil's minister of health, said cooperation between Brazil and China in public policy research and healthcare innovation has yielded fruitful results, laying a solid foundation for cultural and technological exchanges. 

Joelma Gonzaga, secretary of audiovisual affairs at Brazil's Ministry of Culture, said film and television serve as important vehicles for mutual learning among civilizations, and the China-Brazil Year of Culture provides a valuable opportunity to deepen cooperation in the audiovisual industry.

Rozana Naves, rector of the University of Brasilia, said the Spring Festival reflects the Chinese people's profound understanding of time, nature and social connections, and expressed hope for expanded educational and academic cooperation.

Major Brazilian media outlets reported on the event, saying it showcased the unique charm of Chinese Spring Festival culture and the fruitful outcomes of audiovisual cooperation between the two countries.

From Eurasia to South America, the "Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala" series uses the Spring Festival as a bridge to share the blessings of the Chinese New Year with the world, injecting vitality into cultural exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.