Spring Festival Gala draws record viewership

This year's show featured the latest technology, including LED displays and virtual reality, and it was broadcast live with 8K ultrahigh-definition technology for the first time.

Watching the gala has been a national tradition since 1983, becoming widely considered "an important dish" of the Lunar New Year's Eve dinner.

Many celebrities appeared virtually in the gala through technology this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, including singer and actor Andy Lau and singer-songwriter Jay Chou as well as Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and his youngest son Matteo Bocelli, who delivered to audiences the heartwarming songs O Sole Mio and Fall on Me. Tan Yuanyuan, principal dancer of the San Francisco Ballet, performed virtually along with Chinese pianist Li Yundi.

"This year's gala is full of creativity and technology. It gave the traditional entertainment of the Spring Festival a fresh twist," wrote another fan on Sina Weibo.