By CGTN's Sun Wei & Yang Ran
Student performers are rehearsing for the upcoming "Flowers in May" gala. China Central Television (CCTV) will broadcast the event on Youth Day, which is May 4. Under the theme, "Building a Mutual Chinese Dream", this year's show features distinct local traditions and heavily ethnic flavors.
Singing, dance, poem recitals, martial arts, short sketches, nearly all sorts of stage performances were presented at the CCTV No.1 studio by more than 1,000 students from over 70 colleges and high schools across China, as they were getting ready for the upcoming gala.
"A big characteristic for the performances of this year is "combo", the joining of piano and the ballad singing, the combination of shows representing four intangible cultural heritages, and the collaboration of fashion show with the traditional music instrument," gala producer Zou Wei says.
Inner Mongolian students playing horse-head fiddle/CGTN Photo
Students from China's ethnic minorities are also represented, showcasing unique elements of their local culture.
"I hope the Morinhuur will bring about the auspicious atmosphere and show the broadmindedness and bravery of our Mongolian people," Liu Maomao, a middle school student from Inner Mongolia says.
Short Play "The Extreme Altitude"/CGTN Photo
The short play, titled "The Extreme Altitude" was adapted from a true story about a team of college students' conquering the highest peaks on the seven continents of the world and their hiking to the south and north poles.
"This story touched us a lot, so we created the play and show it on the CCTV stage. We hope it will spur more young students to pursuit higher goals of life," Zhu Xingsa, a teacher of the China University of Geosciences, said.
Now in its sixth year, the Youth Day gala is completely directed and performed by students.
