The 2019 Spring Festival Gala is finally here.

The official account of the 2019 Spring Festival Gala released the program list on Sunday. After four mysterious rehearsals, the performers of the Spring Festival Gala, a New Year's Eve feast for the eyes, will be unveiled.

The gala, also known as "Chunwan," has taken place every year since 1983, and is now a cultural symbol of the Spring Festival. The four-hour-plus gala – featuring singing, dancing, crosstalk, sketches and a magic show – is considered the world's most-watched television program.

Each year, the gala provides a creative and excellent extravaganza for Chinese audiences both at home and abroad.

What can we expect from this year's gala?

Apart from the main venue in Beijing, this year's gala will be staged simultaneously in three other sub-venues located in Jinggangshan City of Jiangxi Province, Changchun City of Jilin Province, and Shenzhen City of Guangdong Province.

According to the program list, the stars of this year's gala are powerful. After the opening dance, the other three sub-venues will deliver their greetings.

Chinese actors Li Yifeng and Zhu Yilong will perform with a dunk team from Slovenia and Hungary. The basketball-inspired segment will usher in this year's first chance for multimedia interaction.

The first sketch comedy, or "Xiaopin" in Chinese, of the gala, called "Platform," will feature Chinese actors Tong Dawei and Yang Zi, along with other sketch comedy and talk show performers. The sketch comedy pays tribute to those who work on Lunar New Year's Eve.

"Mom, I'm back," a song and dance by singers from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, will lead us to the Jinggangshan sub-venue.

After the performances in the sub-venue, opera lovers will see performances by Chinese opera masters and children groups. Also, “The Soul of Shaolin,” a martial arts show brought by Henan Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts School, will also appear in later shows.

Language programs are full of highlights

Crosstalk and sketch comedy have always been the most anticipated and watched on the Spring Festival Gala stage. The language program of the 2019 Spring Festival Gala has gathered outstanding talents from the national comedy circle closely connected with the hot issues in people's everyday lives.

Actor Ge You will make his Spring Festival Gala debut while partnering with Cai Ming, Pan Changjiang, Zhai Tianlin, Qiao Shan and Guo Xiaoxiao for a sketch comedy routine.

Ge's only other "appearance" in the gala was in 2014 in the opening short film "What is the Chunwan."

Cai Ming will make her 27th appearance while Pan Changjiang makes his 20th.

Fresh, young faces

Although some familiar faces will be absent this year, the new faces are highly anticipated by young viewers.

Besides the dunk show at the beginning of the gala, other segments will also feature new faces. Jackie Chan will join William Chan and Deng Lun for a song about the fiery passion of the new era. Karry Wang, Roy Wang, Jackson Yee, Wu Lei, Jiang Shuying, Zhou Dongyu, and Jing Tian will also use songs to express the vitality, rhythm and youthful dreams of young people.

When we talk about the Spring Festival Gala's "evergreen trees," famous singer Li Guyi must be mentioned. This year, she will join the gala for the 22nd year to sing "Tonight is Unforgettable."

Embrace multimedia

As the first all-media program, this year's Spring Festival Gala will be broadcast using 4K, 5G, VR, AR, AI and other technologies. For example, the event will be broadcast live on a 4K Ultra-HD channel for the first time ever and 5.1 surround sound will be adopted throughout the show to achieve 5G content transmission.

New technology is being used during the broadcast, allowing the audience more chances to participate. Interactions between mobile devices and the TV will allow viewers to engage and feel the party atmosphere.

The 2019 Spring Festival Gala will start at 20:00 BJT on February 4. Follow us to enjoy the gala's great performances.

(Head image from CCTV)