Chinese nation takes its seat for a feast of TV tradition

Hundreds of millions of Chinese viewers watched the New Year’s Eve gala on China Central Television (CCTV) on Sunday. The extravaganza, known as Chunwan, was being held for the 30th time and has become a fixture of celebrations.

But the show has lost much of its allure in recent years, due to its highly stylised format, the encroachment of advertisements and competition from other forms of entertainment.

Ha Wen, the producer behind several hit CCTV entertainment programmes hosted by her husband Li Yong, was entrusted with producing the gala for the first time this year.

The gala started off as a low-key variety show on the state broadcaster in 1983 and quickly carved out a large audience on the mainland. 

The gala has been regarded as a barometer of star power for years, with slots in its line-up highly sought after. It has even spawned copycat shows on regional networks, though none is allowed to compete in the same time slot.