Actor Wang Baoqiang (C) sings "Song of a Migrant Worker" at China Central Television's Spring Festival Gala on Wednesday, February 6, 2008. Watching the live show on the eve of Spring Festival is an annual tradition for billions of Chinese. [Photo: cnsphoto]

On the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year, China Central Television's annual Spring Festival gala unveiled its curtain as scheduled.

After a joyful dance celebrating the coming of spring, six hosts and hostess greeted the audience.

With an estimated audience of one billion people, both at home and abroad, the annual Spring Festival gala on CCTV has become the world's most watched show. In order to bring a splendid and excellent show to the audience, the gala usually starts its preparation several months ahead.

Adding new programs just a few days before the eve of the festival is not usual for the gala. However, this year, as many parts of China have encountered unexpected severe snowfalls in decades, a special disaster relief program was added to the show.

The added segment has become one of the highlights of the gala. Some prominent Chinese TV hosts and hostess, actors and actress, took part in a poetry recitation, which is expected to send comfort and concern to the stranded travelers on their way home. Followed the poetry recitation, a special song was also devoted to the victims and rescuers of the snowstorms.

The song is aimed at buoying people's spirits. The lyric says although the snow is merciless, people still have love to conquer it.

The four-hour event was broadcast live nationwide and across the world by CCTV through its Chinese-language channels, the English, French and Spanish services and its website.

Since the show started on 1983, CCTV's Spring Festival gala has become the premier entertainment show on the eve of the Chinese New Year.