Spring Festival Encyclopedia: A guide to the biggest festival in China (6)

[Design by Kou Jie, special thanks to Pixabay]

乐(lè)-春节晚会 (Spring Festival CCTV Gala)

Watching the CCTV New Year’s Gala might be the most recent Spring Festival tradition in China, as the first Gala was shown in 1983. Despite the declining viewership in recent years, it is still essential viewing for many people. The 4.5-hour live broadcast features music, comedy, dance, opera and acrobatic performances, while the New Year bell on the TV gala is the official announcement for the start of the new year.

Traditionally, receiving pocket money in a red envelope is the highlight of the festival for children. Thanks to new technologies, people can now send electronic greeting cards, fun memes and money through instant messaging apps, while many online shopping platforms, such as Taobao, will design fun mobile games for users, urging them to collect electronic red envelopes to receive real money.

Many Chinese Internet enterprises have also seized the opportunity to share the festival happiness with their users. According to incomplete statistics, there will be virtual red envelopes worth more than 5 billion yuan (about 700 million) sent by Chinese Internet companies during the Lunar New Year.