Since its inaugural broadcast in 1983, the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala has become an integral part of celebrations in the country to usher in the Chinese New Year. Recognized as the showpiece New Year's Eve entertainment event, it marks the joyous moment when families gather together to celebrate.

This year, it will air live on China Central Television at 8 pm on Feb 9. The program extends beyond New Year's Eve, marking the start of the Year of the Dragon, the fifth animal in the Chinese zodiac.

Familiar and much-loved performances of songs, dances, acrobatics, comic sketches, martial arts and traditional Chinese art forms such as Peking Opera, will all be featured.

The gala venue will boast a record-breaking 1,462 stage lights, the switches, brightness, colors, and movements of which will be controlled with the latest technology. Augmented reality, extended reality and artificial intelligence will all be employed to craft an immersive stage that will blend the virtual and the real.

This year's event aims for ultrahigh-definition production, catering to television, public large screens and mobile devices, said Jiang Wenbo, a member of the editors' committee of China Media Group at a news conference in Beijing on Thursday.

CMG views the Spring Festival Gala stage as a showcase of technological innovation. it strives for top-notch audiovisuals, aiming to provide a refreshing experience for the Chinese audience worldwide, he added.

The theme pattern of this year's gala's stage has been created by Chang Shana, a 93-year-old artist renowned for her studies of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Gansu province. The artwork is a fusion of various patterns found on brocade fabrics from different dynasties in ancient China.

The elegant and traditional Chinese patterns symbolize auspicious celebrations and convey a longing for happiness and prosperity.

"These patterns all carry beautiful meanings. And we have incorporated them across the entire Spring Festival Gala stage, collectively imparting blessings to each member of our audience," said Chang.

This year, the gala continues its tradition of extending invitations to ordinary individuals striving in commonplace roles. Wei Zhongshuai, who runs a biscuit and cake stall at a market in Yingkou, Liaoning province, is among those invited.

"I am going to Beijing for the first time. Every Spring Festival Eve, our family would gather in front of the television to watch the gala. Being invited this time to attend the gala in person is very exciting for me," said Wei.

The English, Spanish, French, Arabian and Russian channels of China Global Television Network and another over 1,500 media organizations from more than 200 countries and regions will broadcast or report on the gala. Besides, more than 3,000 public screens in 70 cities across 34 countries worldwide will livestream the gala.