BEIJING, Dec. 31 -- Chinese leaders watched a New Year gala featuring traditional operas on Tuesday evening in Beijing.

Leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the state Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, joined an audience of nearly a thousand at the National Center for the Performing Arts.

Before the show started, Xi and other leaders shook hands with and greeted some seasoned artists in the audience.

The program included classic opera excerpts paying tribute to virtuous figures in history and more modern works praising CPC members' faith and patriotism.

Performed by artists of different generations, the show demonstrated the splendor of Chinese operas and the confidence and patriotism of the Chinese people in the new era.

The show featured a total of 13 genres of traditional operas, including Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera and Sichuan Opera.