The program list of the 2019 Lantern Festival Gala by China Media Group (CMG) was officially released on Monday, and the party will be broadcast around 8:00 p.m. (BJT) on CCTV-1 and CCTV-3 on the night of the Lantern Festival. The event will be a festive and happy feast for the global Chinese with cheerful songs and dances, comedy and interesting folk customs.

The 2019 Lantern Festival gala is the first of its kind after the establishment of the CMG. Among them, the cross talk and sketch comedy programs are expected to be a hot topic again. According to Qin Xinmin, the chief contributor of the gala, the comedy section has taken into account the aesthetic preferences of audiences in different regions of the country.

Cooperation between old and new artists is a main feature of the 2019 Lantern Festival Gala. Many popular artists will perform, including Li Guyi, and she will sing a song about family with singer Xu Ziwei.

In addition to the old artists, there will be quite a few younger artists in the gala.

This year's Lantern Festival Gala will bring together characters from ten local operas across the country to offer their best wishes for the Lantern Festival in different dialects.

Wei Daosheng, the opera director of the gala, revealed that in addition to the family reunion, the Lantern Festival was a day for lovers because in those days, ladies rarely left their homes, so when everyone went to watch the lanterns, couples were created.

The Chaozhou opera, "Watching Lanterns," is regarded as a taste of home by tens of millions of overseas Chaoshan residents and is a romantic story set during the Lantern Festival. This is is the first time this ancient drama has been performed at the festival.

Eating "Yuan Xiao," watching lanterns and guessing lantern riddles have always been traditional customs of the Lantern Festival. Qin Xinmin revealed that the gala would not only put these folk customs on the stage but also invite experts and intangible cultural heritage inheritors together to show "Yuan Xiao", "Tang Yuan", lanterns and other folk favorites to create a strong festive atmosphere for everyone.

At the same time, Xie Na, Qin Lan, and Jing Tian will also learn how to make "Yuan Xiao" and lanterns together with an intangible cultural heritage inheritor.

What is the difference between a "Yuan Xiao" and a "Tang Yuan?" How are northern and southern lanterns different? What Chinese characters are hidden in traditional lantern riddles? These will all be answered at the 2019 Lantern Festival Gala.