Manya Koetse Profile picture
China social trends, online media & digital culture | Sinologist | Editor-in-chief @whatsonweibo | Japan Studies | Hotpot Ambassador 🔥

Jan 21, 2023, 14 tweets

The annual Spring Festival Gala is about to start! This year, there's an official 3D-designed mascot, Tu Yuanyuan. It must be one of the few bunnies that actually didn't get roasted for being ugly. Follow the #SpringFestivalGala liveblog here: whatsonweibo.com/watching-chunw…

Like the party where nobody told you the dress code. Wearing blue while everyone showed up in red.

Noteworthy enough, the audience at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala is no longer wearing masks this year, for the first time in two years (they did not yet wear masks during the 2020 show).

When you watch the Gala and suddenly feel like ice cream.

"Finally something my grandma likes, and told me not to switch channels"

Spotted the first ugly bunny of the night! Online roast coming in at 3...2....1....

Noteworthy: We're over 1,5 hours into the show, and besides some indirect hinting at "difficult times" and "sunshine comes after rain," there's been zero explicit mention of Covid thus far. The maskless audience, happy songs, - it's almost as if nothing happened.

Really beautiful performance (满庭芳·国色) with some cool effects made possible by the show's integration of new technologies such as 4K/8K, AI, and XR.

Little girl in the audience is going viral, she's done with pretending to smile.

One of the big topics surrounding this year's Gala is that the famous singer Li Guyi (李谷一), who has ALWAYS appeared at the Gala since 1983 (!), won’t be there to sing "Unforgettable Night". Lu is at the hospital, recovering from Covid.

A bunch of countries' singers is now appearing for the Belt and Road song. This is Pakistan.

Have you tried out 新年快乐 (Happy new year) on WeChat yet? The bunnies will hop by in your screen!

Ouch, poor girl!

As the show has come to an end, Taobao sellers are working hard to meet the sudden demand for clothes that were worn on the show.

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