Happy Chinese New Year! Did you watch the 2018 Spring Festival Gala last night? Was there a performance you particularly enjoyed?
As usual, this year’s Spring Festival Gala hosted by China Central Television (CCTV), also known as “Chunwan,” has become a trending topic on social media. During the more than four hours of singing, dancing, skits and traditional culture, there were many highlights.
This Chinese New Year's Eve has become associated with the latest technology, such as drones and augmented reality (AR), which were used to create an audio-visual feast for the audience.
At the opening, for example, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), driverless cars and unmanned surface vessels (USV) gathered in an incredible formation at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the sub-venue of the Gala in Zhuhai, south China’s Guangdong Province. Viewers were amazed by the choreography between an aerobatic flight team and the UAV formation embodying the scientific and technological strength of the city.
Also, the optical special effects have been enhanced to create a world of magic. This was showcased when singer-songwriter Jay Chou, one of the most anticipated Spring Festival performers this year, did magic tricks during his singing routine.
The virtual elements moved as if they were controlled by the singer himself, while the black background provided enough space to bring out real objects. Real and virtual elements were blurred together to trick viewers' eyes.
It was the fifth time for Jay Chou to perform at the Gala, singing the song “Confession Balloons” that topped China’s music charts in 2016. The first time was in 2004 and he performed “Dragon Fist”; and the last time was in 2011 when he partnered with Lin Chiling in a magic show called "Lanting Pavilion Sequence."
But for many people, the reunion of superstars Faye Wong and Na Ying, was the reason to tune in for the Gala. Their appearance could be the most expected part of the show and it turned out that their first public duet in two decades didn’t let people down.
Singing a ballad called "Years," it was the second time they took the stage together at a Spring Festival Gala. In 1998, the two singers performed a song titled “Let's Meet in 1998” during the Gala, which became an instant hit.
After the performance fans quickly took to the Twitter-like Weibo in an outpouring of praise including Wong’s daughter Leah Dou.
Dou shared a post with a picture of herself as a baby pointing at a photo of her mother with a line“Did you see? This is my mother. Isn’t she awesome?” which have attracted more than a million likes.
Each year, the sketch, which is a quick comic routine or piece of acting, can be one of the most anticipated programs. This year, a skit played by Chinese actor Zheng Kai, an African actress speaking in Chinese and other actors from Gabon, Kenya, and Ivory Coast, has won praises of the Chinese audience.
Titled “Share the Same Joy and Happiness”, the story tells that an African attendant from the Nairobi-Mombasa Railway was forced into a blind date by her parents and to deal with her parents, then the attendant and her Chinese teacher disguised as a couple. It had a happy ending and celebrated China’s friendly relationship with Africa.
Nearing the end of the Gala, the audience found themselves carried away with the excellent performance by a group of young vocal talents.
Ahead of Chinese singer and dancer Li Guyi's finale of "Unforgettable Tonight", singers from the UK, the US, Russia, France, Italy and Latvia sung “I Love You, China” in Chinese. Netizens say they were proud to see the song being known by foreigners and really felt that the country was getting stronger.
Besides, the event has seen many other foreign faces such as American basketball player Stephon Marbury and Coatian pianist Maxim Mrvica.
According to director Yang Dongsheng, this year’s event, could be the most “international” Gala ever.
