Chinese New Year global gala night brings joy, positivity

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The "Culture Bridge, Happy Globe" Chinese New Year global gala night staged on Friday night by New Zealand organizers brought joy and positivity to online audiences.

The 2024 Chinese New Year global gala night was the fourth of its kind. It was organized by the Culture Bridge, a cultural exchange organization based in New Zealand, aiming to promote Chinese culture globally.

"Chinese New Year is an important occasion for overseas Chinese to celebrate our culture and enjoy family reunions. It is also an important occasion to share our positivity, friendship and happiness," said Jie Min, director of the Culture Bridge.

"The Chinese New Year global gala night is not only a celebration. It is also intended to serve as a platform of cultural exchange for audiences from all backgrounds," said Jie.

The three-hour Chinese New Year global gala night showcased a diverse range of artistic performances such as classic Chinese music, Wushu performance, Chinese crosstalk, traditional music instrument performances and Peking Opera. Famous singer Dong Wenhua, Tenor Wang Hongwei, Peking Opera performers Yu Kuizhi and Li Shengsu contributed their feature performances which drew the audience's attention. According to the organizer, many performances were original pieces created for this event.

Over 9,000 artists and performers from over 50 countries participated in this gala night. The theme song of the night, Descendants of the Dragon, was contributed by more than 100 overseas Chinese youth performers across the globe.

The gala night debuted during the COVID-19 lockdown when a group of overseas Chinese students joined a global rally to sing for COVID-19 frontline health workers. The online event has since been joined by more and more global artists and performers, becoming a new annual tradition, according to its organizer.