Every year since 1983, China hosts its most-watched event on Chinese New Year – the Spring Festival Gala, or 春晚 (chūn wǎn). As you can only see the gala in person if you are exclusively invited, all families in China (and even overseas) gather together and watch the extraordinary performances on TV. This has become one of the most widely viewed events around the world. According to CGTN news (video), this year’s gala had more than 1 billion viewers. Not surprisingly, watching this event is a valuable tradition for families.
Every year, the gala hosts several artists, performers, comedy acts and many more acts that all ages can enjoy. This year, there were performances by Jackie Chan, Zhang Yixing (Lay), and top Chinese dancers, comedians, and singers.
However, the entire Gala lasts 4 hours. So here are our top highlights of the 2019 Gala so you can get right into the best of the night!
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1 The Spirit of Shaolin /少林魂
This fascinating kungfu act was performed by 20,000 people, and it only took 15 days to learn and perfect their routine. Of course, you would have no idea since the performance was in perfect synchronization. Throughout this performance, the people moved to form relevant symbols to the new year, such as “春”/ “chūn” and “福”/ “fú”.
Shaolin Kungfu (少林功夫) is one of the oldest and most dominant forms of kungfu, and was developed in the Shaolin Temple in Henan, China.
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2 The Magic Pot/ 魔壶
This magician, Liu Qian (刘谦), has two simple props: a pot, and a bottle of water. He turns water into wine, hot tea, and even a drink the audience requested! How do you think he does this?
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3 Dunhuang Feitian - 敦煌飞天
These highly skilled ballerinas based their dance off of the cave paintings at Dunhuang, formerly a wealthy city on the Silk Road. Furthermore, along with the dancing are a gorgeous stage setting and costumes. With a fusion of both historical and modern ballet elements, it is definitely worth watching!
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4 Acrobatics Show - 争奇斗技
Watch these fearless acrobats fly through hoops, do flips for a minute straight, and so many more acts that are impossible to believe! This performance creates a heated and excited atmosphere, along with the bright red color scheme that completes the setting.
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5 Blossoming - 绽放
Synchronized swimming has never appeared on the Spring Festival Gala- this was the very first, and it was exceptionally amazing to watch. This act took place in the air, water, and on solid ground. Not only was it synchronized swimming, they also incorporated ballet and stunts.
Starring Lin chi-ling (林志玲), and various synchronized swim teams, you will not be disappointed with their performance.
This is a really interesting article, I have never been to a Chinese New Year Gala and it seems to be very fascinating. I am very intrigued by your take on the different acts of the Chinese New Year Gala. I didn’t know synchronized swimming was a part of the Chinese New Year Gala, watching the video I was truly amazed at the talent the synchronized swimmers had. Good Job Elim, it’s a really great article!
Great
I have never been to a Chinese New Year gala, but I am truly intrigued by your article. I watched the synchronized swimming article and I was so impressed by it. Good job Elim, your article really fascinated me!
This is pretty rad.
Very nice and informative article, Elim. Excellently done.
This article is a fun yet informative way to present Chinese culture. I truly enjoyed it
Omg your post is so cool!!!! It made me know more about my culture while also hyping me up for next year’s performances!!!!
I’ve been interested in chinese culture lately, and this article helped me to know where to start! It inspired me to dig deeper into Chinese culture.
Love it
I also love it
This is well written. 100% the best article I’ve read on this website. Elim Chen is truly a great example for the kids in her generation. 10/10 article