What’s the deal with CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala? Why China’s Lunar New Year’s Eve variety show holds the Guinness World Record for most-watched TV programme in the world
- Chinese households traditionally tune into the CCTV New Year’s Gala, or Chunwan, nicknamed ‘China’s Super Bowl’, during Spring Festival reunion dinner
- Hong Kong singers like Anita Mui and Andy Lau have made appearances, and Alibaba’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat introduced a virtual red packet giveaway in 2015
As the world’s most-watched TV show, it’s safe to say the Spring Festival Gala television show – Chunwan in Chinese and dubbed “China’s Super Bowl” – contributes to the celebratory mood on Lunar New Year’s Eve. Also known as CCTV New Year’s Gala, the variety show broadcast has become an annual tradition in millions of homes across mainland China, with discussing and debating the performances a popular pastime.
As we are count down to the Year of the Ox, let’s take a look at some interesting facts about the festive gala.
What kind of show is the Spring Festival Gala?
First broadcast in 1983, the Spring Festival Gala has a history of nearly four decades. Broadcast from 8pm until midnight, the variety format presents four-hour a mix of comedy, singing, dancing, acrobatics and magic acts from top-notch performers who are selected through many rounds of auditions.
According to China’s State Council Information Office, the 2018 Super Bowl drew around 103 million viewers while the 2017 Chunwan recorded almost seven times that: more than 700 million both at home and abroad.