The CCTV Spring Festival Gala first aired in 1983.
The program was created as a televised variety show for Chinese New Year’s Eve. CCTV director Huang Yihe proposed the idea in the early 1980s, and the inaugural broadcast was staged in a small Beijing studio on February 12, 1983. It was transmitted live, with viewers able to call in and request songs or other performances.
The first gala was modest by later standards: the studio was about 600 square meters, and the production had limited staff and resources. Hosts and performers included Ma Ji, Jiang Kun, Wang Jingyu, Liu Xiaoqing, and singer Li Guyi. Its success quickly established the event as an annual national tradition.
The show is now known in English as the CMG Spring Festival Gala, reflecting the creation of China Media Group in 2018; “CCTV New Year’s Gala” remains a familiar former name. It should not be confused with unrelated local New Year television specials.