The gala has to be updated every year, and can't just be a larger version of the other galas that are held throughout the year. It's even more important because some say the gala has lost its dominance now that there are a plethora of other options, unlike in the 1980s when it was the only gala on television.
And, this time around, the gala has to be a great one. 2008 was a special year for China, with many highs and some devastating lows. The Olympics, the Shenzhou seven space mission, the snowstorms in the south and the Wenchuan earthquake. People need the festivities to be impressive enough to wave goodbye to the year of the rat, and welcome the year of the ox.
Since January the 13th, there have been a total of six rehearsals, with one staged every two days. Huge screens combine with pillars of light to show the scenes. New types of performance span across the genres, such as puppet shows featuring singing or kungfu displays using household utensils.
A performer said, "In the past, we merely displayed our martial arts skills, but this time we're bringing humor into the equation."
A performer said, “Our program tells of the changing of the eras from the ancient times to the present day."
One act is called "The Changes of the City". It uses dance, opera and song to tell of Beijing's past and present. The striking ending is CCTV's new building appearing on the screen like a mirage.
In some of the skits, cross talk aims to equal the popularity of comic sketches, which have been among the most popular during the past decade. Jiang Kun returns to the stage after a five-year gap to tell of the changes of the past thirty decades. Ma Dong, the son of late cross talk master Ma Ji, will accompany Da Shan and three other performers for a piece adapted from a hit cross talk sketch on the same stage two decades ago.
Ma Dong, the director of language program of spring festival gala, said, "We've collected ideas from a large cross section of society, such as inviting some octagenarians to write about what they think is funny. This time, we're using more popular wisdom to enrich our creations."
