On January 31, 2022, I performed at the 2022 Spring Festival Gala in Beijing!
Just a little background information: the Spring Festival Gala has the largest audience of any entertainment show in the world and is recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s most watched television program, with over a billion people watching on Chinese New Year’s Eve.
So, this is THE biggest night of the year for Chinese families, almost like Christmas + New Year’s rolled into one. People will have the week off to travel home to see their families and celebrate with a reunion dinner. And this Gala show is like the New Year’s Ball Drop combined with the Super Bowl in terms of the entertainment and hype level. Chinese families have been watching this show every year on New Year’s Eve since 1983.
As Wikipedia says, “The program is a variety show, often featuring music, dance, comedy, and drama performances. It has become a ritual for many Chinese families, including overseas Chinese, to watch the show on Chinese New Year’s Eve. Many Chunwan performers have emerged as household names in China solely as a result of their recurring appearances on the program.”
When I first came to China in 2015, I didn’t know much about this gala. I knew that the Lunar New Year was a big celebration when Chinese people would go home to their families. And slowly overtime I came to learn from my students and friends just how important this night was, and what a big honor it is to be on the Spring Festival Gala.
So after 6 years in China, I knew it was a huge deal. But I never imagined I would one day be performing in it!
I sang during the Winter Olympic Theme song with Liao Changyong 廖昌永 and Coco Lee 李玟 right after the New Year countdown. I’ve linked to the song below, or you can watch the whole livestream here: Live: CGTN Super Night – 2022 Spring Festival Special. The song I’m in starts at 4:35:48 and I first come on at 4:39:20.
2022 CCTV Spring Festival Gala / 2022 中央广播电视总台 春节联欢晚会
Winter Olympics theme song “Light Up Dreams” 冬奥主题歌曲《点亮梦》
Vocals: Liao Changyong, Coco Lee 演唱:廖昌永、李玟(中国香港)
Chorus: 19 CGTN foreign hosts 合唱:CGTN外籍主持人19位
It was incredible and overwhelming, because during and after the show I had so many friends sending me photos of them watching the show!
It was a very surreal experience, and definitely a bucket list item I never expected to cross off here in China! It’s very cool to be part of an iconic cultural experience in China, taking part in a celebration of the New Year with singing, dancing, and other special performances. Although my part was actually short and just a few minutes of singing and swaying, it feels like an honor to take part.
Wishing you all a happy Year of the Tiger and a happy and healthy 2022!
Read About My Other Spring Festival Experiences in China Over 6 Years:
Rachel Meets China 
Absolutely amazing. Was only watching part of the show on UTube last night with Chinese friends here in Australia. No wonder you are so proud; so you should be – you looked fantastic by the way.
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Great!
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Wow.. That’s great!! Congrats!!!
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This looks like such a great experience!
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It was certainly very cool! And interesting to see behind the scenes!
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Wow! What an amazing experience! I saw you live on TV, you really looked great. Thank you for sharing this!
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Hi Linni wow that’s so nice, thank you so much! It was a very cool experience to be part of!
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