As the year 2013 draws to a close, the meaning of new year's eve has a poetic significance. Dubbed "yisheng yishi," a line from the famous book A Dream in Red Mansions by Cao Xueqin and meaning "for one's whole lifetime," the term has a similar sound in Chinese to the numbers 1-3-1-4, symbolizing the transition between the two years.
Implemented by the central government, the traditional galas and performances held by local governments and TV stations have seen a decrease in its budget, while the commercial and private celebrations are occupying people's new year's eve plans.
Losing its shine
The coveted new year's eve gala was previously one of the battle fields for local satellite TV stations. Overseas celebrities such as Avril Lavigne and David Beckham were invited as guest stars in a bid to increase their promotion.
Some of the Chinese mainland's top pop stars, such as singer Zhang Liangying and Tan Weiwei, experienced running from one gala to another to perform in a single night.
According to Li Hao, deputy director of Hunan Satellite TV, the cost for inviting stars took about half of the whole budget of the channel's galas in previous years.
Regulated by the government's frugal rules, the number of New Year Galas on air has decreased to only four: China Central Television, Dragon TV, Hunan Satellite TV and Guangdong Satellite TV. The overall cost of the galas has been tightened as networks have invited celebrities who have cooperated with the TV stations prior to the galas, resulting in them receiving a substantial cut.
Chen Hong, the director of the New Year Gala on Dragon TV, said in an interview with the Sichuan Daily that most of the stars invited to the gala have already been guests in previous TV programs earlier this year.
Singer Han Hong and actor Huang Xiaoming, who were tutors in Chinese Idol, will lead the a segment of the gala that features several famous singers competing against each other.
As the judges in the new season of China's Got Talent, actress Zhao Wei and actor Alec Su are also invited to the gala. Besides these old friends of the network, singer and composer Jonathan Lee is one of the few extra guest performers on the gala.
However, compared to the high invitation cost for stars, which can amount to over 1 million yuan ($160,000) in the past years, the budget for this year has considerably shrunk.
Losing its glittering roster of shining stars, the galas are trying something new. With the themes of "youth" and "growing up" Hunan satellite TV's gala has invited the father-and-child groups from the program Dad Where to Go to perform several creative shows during the gala.
On the gala of Dragon TV, audiences are able to vote and interact with the singers on stage, while an outdoor party will be held at the Bund in Shanghai, where members of the public can gather by the riverside to countdown together.
"We hope to attract audiences with creativity. Stars are interacting with audiences, sending out presents and playing games with them, to create a lively atmosphere, rather than only singing or performing like before," said Chen.
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