China Central Television (CCTV) on Monday held its first full rehearsal for the 2018 Spring Festival Gala.

The CCTV New Year’s Gala, also known as the CCTV Spring Festival Gala or ‘chunwan'－Spring Night, is an annual live television event broadcast on Chinese New Year's Eve. Dubbed by many news outlets as the Chinese “Super Bowl,” the gala was watched by over 700 million people last year. It is one of the most-watched variety shows in the world. Chinese families have sat down to watch it while enjoying their reunion dinner since 1983.

The New Year’s Gala, to be directed this year by Yang Dongsheng, features a variety of skits and performances, including singing, dancing and comedy, and is due to last about four hours.

Language, as the most anticipated category of the gala, will follow the principle – "tasteful, stylish, not tacky and kitsch.” 

The show will be featuring ordinary people’s stories and focus on heart-touching experiences that could easily be overlooked. 

The programs vary in themes from the Belt and Road Initiatives, friendships between the peoples of China and Africa as well as the family affection of the Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.The show will bring together the nation’s old, the middle-aged, and young generations of outstanding artists.

The Song and Dance, Acrobatics, Magic Tricks are expected to embrace innovation with rich Chinese culture but also exotic elements.

State television has continued with the multi-venue plan which has been adopted since 2016. This year, segments will come from the provinces of Guizhou, Guangdong, Shandong, and Hainan, as well as the main venue at its headquarters in Beijing.

"Technology, ecology and culture" would be the key words for this venue while programs will adopt cutting-edge technologies to present "illusive" scenery for the audience, according to CCTV.

The annual gala will be broadcast live from 8 p.m. on Feb. 15. 

2018 will be the Year of the Dog, which is often described as man's best friend. This year's gala highlights the integration of the international community.