Gala wows audiences home and abroad

In a harmonious blend of tradition and pop flair, the annual CCTV Lantern Festival Gala received widespread praise from both national and international audiences.

Broadcast on Saturday, the gala showcased a diverse array of performances, including traditional operas, acrobatics, choir presentations and lantern displays.

The gala had branch venues in various cities including Zigong in Sichuan province, Yangshuo in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Qinhuangdao in Hebei province. In these locations, the indigenous lantern festivals embellished the surroundings with a vibrant spectacle.

A standout feature of the gala was the incorporation of lantern riddles, weaving a unifying thread throughout the event. Immersing the audience in an interactive experience, all the hosts actively interacted with the audience in a lantern-riddle guessing game.

As of 8 am on Sunday, the Lantern Festival Gala had garnered 184 million livestream views online and was watched by 169 million viewers on television, both exceeding last year's figures.

China Global Television Network disseminated 1,210 articles about the gala in 68 languages, accumulating a global readership of 170 million.

CCTV globally broadcast the gala via its overseas social media channels, attracting a total of 28.85 million viewers, marking a 27 percent increase from the previous year. Numerous international netizens took to leaving comments expressing their fondness for Chinese culture and the traditional festival.