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| Final rehearsal of Spring Festival TV gala |
| CCTV.COM 2003-01-30 10:01:16 |
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 It's only a couple of days to Lunar New Year, China's biggest holiday celebration. One long held festival tradition is for families to gather around the Television on Lunar New Year's Eve and enjoy the annual live broadcast of CCTV's Spring Festival Gala.
Chinese New Year has come early to CCTV. Top artists and performers gathered to rehearse the biggest annual TV gala there. Among the thousands watching the rehearsal was a returned overseas Chinese, who was thrilled to see the action close－up for a change.
"Each year I watched the gala through CCTV international channel in the States. This year I decide to spend the time with my family in China. I feel excited to watch the live performance here," said a returned overseas Chinese viewer.
CCTV's Spring Festival Gala was first put on stage in the early 1980s, the era when television first entered into many Chinese homes. Since then it has evolved into a New Year celebration ritual.
 With an estimated audience of one billion people, both at home and abroad, the annual gala has become the world's most watched show. Though the audience's taste in entertainment changes year by year, it is still believed that the annual TV show is an indispensable new year ritual.
"We always eat dumplings, but the ones on New Year's Eve are the most delicious. And we watch various galas throughout the year, but none of them can match the one on the Spring Festival Eve," said Huang Hong, an actor.
No matter what the audience expects from the gala, one theme always gives the show lasting appeal －－ its message of joy and blessing.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the traditional TV gala. The show will start at 8 p.m. Beijing time this Friday and will last for 4 hours. Will this two decade－long tradition continue to cater to the audience's taste？ We can only wait and see.
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Editor: Han Ling CCTV.com
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