CMG held the "Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala” event in New York

On Thursday, January 16, China Media Group (CMG) held the "Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala” event in New York, officially kicking off a series of special overseas activities connected to the program.

Shen Haixiong, President and Editor-in-Chief of China Media Group (CMG), delivered a video address. Xie Feng, Chinese Ambassador to the United States; Fu Cong, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations; and Stephen Orlins, President of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, attended the event and delivered speeches. Ernesto Ottone, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, congratulated China on the successful inclusion of the Spring Festival in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list through a video message.

Nearly 200 guests attended the event, including Chen Li, Chinese Consul General in New York; diplomats from Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Egypt, the UAE, Nicaragua, Cuba, and the Maldives; along with representatives from various sectors.

In his address, Shen Haixiong noted that the Spring Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals of the Chinese people. It’s a grand celebration of the rich and diverse Chinese culture, carrying aspirations and cultural significance in family reunions, national prosperity, and people’s well-being and harmony between humans and nature.

The Spring Festival is now recognized and loved across the globe with nearly one-fifth of the world’s population celebrating it in various ways. Not only has the Spring Festival been listed as a United Nations floating holiday but last year, it was also inscribed on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Shen said. From being a “Chinese New Year” to becoming a “Global New Year,” the Spring Festival now shines with unique charm in the flourishing garden of world civilizations, he added.

The CMG Spring Festival Gala, held for 42 consecutive years, has become the world’s most-watched New Year cultural and artistic TV program, Shen said. As the first CMG Spring Festival Gala since the festival was successfully inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, this year’s gala will fully leverage CMG’s communication advantages of 82 languages to present to audiences both at home and abroad a joyful and auspicious cultural feast with the integration of CMG’s “5G+4K/8K+AI” technological innovations.

Shen emphasized that CMG sincerely invites global audiences to join this grand cultural celebration, hoping to bring the warmth of home to overseas Chinese and share this rich Chinese cultural feast with international friends through the high-quality program filled with creativity and artistry.

At the event, Ambassador Xie Feng said that the Spring Festival, which originated in China, has brought joy to the world. In a world intertwined with changes and turmoil, the resolve of people in all countries to pursue peace and development has grown stronger, as has the call for solidarity and cooperation. This resonates deeply with the core values of peace, harmony, and unity embedded in the Spring Festival.

Xie expressed gratitude to CMG for hosting the “Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala” event in the United States, which opens a window for Americans to understand China, builds a bridge for deeper mutual understanding between the people of the two countries, and creates a symphony of harmonious coexistence and shared beauty.

Xie Feng said that U.S.-China relations have shown a hard-earned trend toward stabilization, maintaining precious overall stability, in 2024. The “mutual efforts” of the two peoples have brought a steady stream of warmth to bilateral relations, he added. Looking ahead to the Year of the Snake, Xie acknowledged that significant challenges remain, but emphasized that more people recognize that stabilizing and improving U.S.-China relations serves the common interests of both countries and meets the shared expectations of the international community.

He expressed hope that the U.S. will work with China in the same direction under the guidance of the two heads of state, upholding the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. The two countries should employ wisdom to effectively manage differences, harness diligence and vigor to expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and strengthen dialogue and communication to forge a right path for China-U.S. relations in the new era, he added.

UN Representative Fu Cong said he was delighted to attend the event and joined everyone in welcoming the arrival of the Year of the Snake. The Spring Festival carries the most heartfelt emotions and aspirations of the Chinese people, conveying the cultural values of peace, harmony, and unity that are deeply rooted in Chinese civilization, Fu said.

Its recent inscription on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity showcased the enduring charm of the millennia-old Spring Festival culture to the world and further enriched its global significance. It also opened a new window for people from all countries to learn about China and built a new bridge for exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations.

Fu emphasized that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, a pivotal moment in human history. In the face of crises, the world must seek spiritual guidance and draw strength from the diversity of human civilizations, he said.

It is essential to rise above differences in history, culture, geography, and systems, work together in unity and cooperation, allow the torch of multilateralism to illuminate the path forward, and create a brighter future through exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, Fu added.

Stephen Orlins expressed his pleasure in attending CMG's "Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala” event for the second consecutive year. Over the past half-century, U.S.-China relations have continued to develop, benefiting both countries and the world. In the new year, he expressed hope for the stable development of bilateral relations and extended his New Year greetings.

Through a video message, Ernesto Ottone congratulated China on the successful inscription of the Spring Festival on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list and praised China’s efforts in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. He noted that the Spring Festival is not only a traditional Chinese holiday but also a symbol of Chinese culture, vividly embodying universal values such as family values, social inclusiveness, and the harmony between humanity and nature.

At the event, the Young People's Chorus of New York City performed two pieces: The Song of Calling and A Rainbow Tomorrow. American singer Mandy Harvey joined hands with students from the Center for International Disability Advocacy and Diplomacy at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota to present the song Masterpiece, incorporating sign language into the performance.

A children’s choir, made up of students from Washington State and a local Mandarin school, performed Auld Lang Syne. Designers from the Fashion in a Conscious Future Foundation showcased a fashion show inspired by the zodiac sign of the snake, the globally popular Chinese game Black Myth: Wukong, and the dance A Tapestry of a Legendary Land.

During the event, guests participated in the "Year of the Snake Dance Fun" challenge and enjoyed CMG’s cultural program China in Intangible Cultural Heritage. The event also showcased CMG’s Spring Festival cultural and creative products, including the "Ruyi Spring Bowl" and the "Fortune All-Season Plate."

Nearly 1,900 mainstream media outlets across 69 countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Spain, Japan, South Korea, the UAE, and India, covered the overseas special event "Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala," reaching an international audience of 910 million. The series of events is set to continue in countries such as Kenya, Spain, Brazil, Australia, France, Russia, and the UAE.