China Media Group (CMG) held the first dress rehearsal for the 2024 Spring Festival Gala on Monday, honing the vast-anticipated TV carnival amid prevailing festive mood for the Chinese traditional Lunar New Year.

The wide cast of performers gathered at a CMG studio for their inaugural appearance in the 2024 Spring Festival Gala, a vibrant and captivating four-hour-long variety featuring singing, dancing, Chinese operas, comedy sketches, crosstalks and other eye-catching entertainment blockbusters.
With the guiding principle of combining ideas with art and technology, the gala will focus on social hot spots and the daily life of common Chinese people, express their real emotions and share the joy of family in plain language, with blending traditional elites, indigenous elements and virtual-tech ingenuities.
During the first dress rehearsal, panda breeder Tan Jintao, who is also known as "Grandpa Tan," was among the first guests invited to watch the show on-site. In the subsequent rehearsals, more representatives from various industries who have made outstanding contributions will continue to be invited as honored guests of the gala and they will convey New Year wishes to all ordinary people who strive for a better tomorrow.
The gala, also known as "Chunwan," has been broadcast live annually since 1983, and has been seen as a major cultural symbol for the traditional Lunar New Year celebrations in China. This year's event will be aired on Feb. 9, the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year.