Every year on New Year’s Eve, at exactly 8:00 PM Beijing time, hundreds of millions of Chinese families across the globe turn on their televisions to watch a single broadcast. The CCTV Spring Festival Gala, commonly known as Chunwan (春晚), holds the Guinness World Record for the most-watched television program in the world, dwarfing the viewership of the Super Bowl.
What is Chunwan?
Broadcast live continuously since 1983, Chunwan is a 4.5-hour variety show spectacular. It serves as the ultimate backdrop to the Nian Ye Fan (Reunion Dinner). Much like the Times Square ball drop on New Year’s Eve, tuning into Chunwan has become a modern, indispensable tradition of the holiday.
The Core Performances
The gala is a high-budget showcase of the nation’s top artistic talent, featuring a mix of traditional culture and modern pop entertainment.
- Xiaopin (Skits): The most anticipated segment. These comedic mini-plays often satirize modern social issues, family dynamics, and workplace culture. The catchphrases born in these skits dictate internet slang for the rest of the year.
- Xiangsheng (Crosstalk): A traditional comedic dialogue between two performers, relying heavily on rapid-fire banter, puns, and deeply cultural wordplay.
- Acrobatics and Martial Arts: Breathtaking displays of physical perfection, often featuring hundreds of Shaolin monks or world-class acrobats performing synchronized routines.
- Grand Dance and Music: Extravagant musical numbers featuring elaborate costumes, celebrating both modern pop idols and the traditional dances of China’s ethnic minorities.
The Midnight Countdown
As midnight approaches, the pacing of the show accelerates. The hosts gather on stage, and the entire nation counts down the final ten seconds of the old year together. At the stroke of midnight, the broadcast cuts to the deafening sound of ringing bells.
The Unforgettable Closing
For decades, the gala has ended with the exact same song: “Unforgettable Tonight” (Nanwang Jin Xiao). As the entire cast of hundreds of performers floods the stage to sing this nostalgic melody, it signals to families everywhere that the old year has officially passed, the new year has begun, and it is finally time to sleep.
