Editor's Note

With only a few days to go to the Chinese Lunar New Year Eve on February 9 this year, the Spring Festival evening galas of various TV stations have now become one of the biggest concerns of the Chinese audience, but as many netizens have discovered, this year's galas, from central to local, are all going international: China Central Television (CCTV) has invited pop diva Celine Dion; Shanghai-based Dragon TV has PSY, the most popular Korean figure of 2012; Anhui TV Station gets classical crossover star Sarah Brightman; and Hunan TV has the popular South Korean girl group f(x).

Latest News

Workers take center stage

Now in its second year, the Migrant Workers Gala, a copycat of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala broadcast, will air on TV and stream online the first day of Chinese New Year. Initiated by migrant workers in Beijing, the group promises a grander show this year, aspiring to raise awareness of the vulnerable population.

Broadcasters promise a more frugal New Year gala

Broadcasters of the world's most watched television spectacle, the Spring Festival gala, are promising to reduce spending and adhere to the country's call for a more frugal style and to eliminate waste.

Chinese students stage Spring Festival gala in Russia

Chinese ambassador to Russia Li Hui delivers a speech during a performance staged by Chinese students studying in Russia, at the Chinese Embassy in Moscow, Russia, January 20, 2013. The performance was held on January 20 in celebration of China's traditional Spring Festival and the upcoming Year of the Snake.

Int’l stars on SF13 galas

Illustration: Globaltimes.cn

International stars	TV stations	Programs
Canadian pop diva Celine Dion	China Central Television (CCTV)	At the CCTV Gala, pop diva Celine Dion is expected to perform her 1997 international No.1 hit My Heart Will Go On, the love ballad from Titanic. Also, according to Song Ke, general manager and founder of EverGrand Music and Gao Xiaosong, co-founder of EverGrand Music, Dion will sing the Chinese song Jasmine Flower, in a duet with Chinese singer Song Zuying.
Canadian star Mark Rowswell (left), Chinese American pop singer Fei Xiang	Beijing TV station	Canadian star Mark Rowswell, who is better-known among Chinese by the name Dashan, is going to host BTV's 2013 Spring Festival Global Galal on February 11, 2013. Fei Xiang, the popular Chinese American pop singer, is going to perform during the gala.
South Korean pop singer Psy	Shanghai-based Dragon TV	Psy is going to sing the world-renownGangnam Style at the Shanghai-based Dragon TV gala on February 10.
British classical crossover star Sarah Brightman	Anhui TV station	Anhui TV Station gets classical crossover star Sarah Brightman during their Spring Festival Evening Gala on February 8.
South Korean girl group f(x)	Hunan TV station	South Korean girl group f(x) performed during the Hunan TV's Spring Festival Evening Gala, which was held on the xiao nian ye (small year eve), one week before the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Comments

While some netizens are excited about such famous foreign figures coming to China, others wonder why the Spring Festival galas in China today have to depend on big-name foreign stars.

On TV reviewer ratings and ads	Sina Weibo user "Chuanmei Laowang," who is a veteran in the media industry, said that by inviting international stars, the TV stations hope to raise viewer ratings and attract more ads, which is completely a market-driven method. But as "the current TV stations in China… are not totally market oriented," such methods may not bring the desired audience ratings. Also, he notes that the kind of stars that should be invited and the kind of culture they represent are questions that should be taken into consideration.
On the cost controversy	"It's also a kind of extravagance and waste! Please use this money to do something useful," a netizen named "HuangheiJingshidai" posted. "International stars like Celine Dion are not easy to be invited to most Chinese programs. But on such a Chinese-only festival, on such a gala that is held almost with the power of the whole nation… it may be a good money-making opportunity for [the stars]. But do such invitations add more significance to the Spring Festival evening [celebration] or force the audience to spend big money on a luxury dinner that does not fit their taste?" a critic on ent.cqnews.net wrote.
Local TV stations’ reply	Liao Chen, the person in charge of the Spring Festival Evening Gala for Hunan TV, spoke by phone with the Global Times. Liao agreed that galas need stars, whether in singing or dancing programs. But she said, "Hunan TV's gala is always known for its good content and ideas. And we do not invite top stars. We do everything on the basis of saving money."

GT comment: Guess who’s coming to dinner
 
On one hand TV stations are trying their best to please the audience, but on the other hand people find it hard to understand such extraordinary costs for one night of fun.

"A majority of the Spring Festival evening galas are for the grass-roots class, farmers for example. Will they be interested in such foreign stars? There are plenty of talent artists inside China. Why don't we bring them out?" he asked. And yet, he admitted that with so many different people watching the same program, it's difficult to cater to everyone's taste.

More on Weibo Nation: Spring Festival galas lure international stars

@Tantianlundao (new media researcher): If it makes sense for Chinese youngsters to celebrate Christmas, why can't we make our Spring Festival gala more diversified and international? Many Chinese young people no longer watch the gala any more. If we don't change, it is out of the question that the tradition [of galas] will persist.

@Beijing Morning Post: Instead of vying for South Korean rapper Psy to perform at the Spring Festival gala, it is better to cultivate our own "Chinese Psy." The future of Chinese culture and galas is gloomy if the buzz surrounding Psy is the only means of promotion for TV stations.

@Southern Metropolis Daily: The [CCTV] gala could continue to play a dominant role in people's lives during Spring Festival, but changes should be made to avoid the abundance of stars on stage. Adapting the traditional festival to people's ever-changing aesthetic values and letting people of all classes enjoy the gala is the key for reforms.