HSK 3 · Article · 297 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-the-spring-festival-gala-chunwan

春晚是什么？

What is the Spring Festival Gala (春晚)?

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除夕chúxī晚上wǎnshang，我们wǒmen一家人yìjiārén吃chī完wán饭fàn，到dào了le八bā点diǎn，电视diànshì就jiù开kāi了le。奶奶nǎinai坐zuò在zài中间zhōngjiān，说shuō：“春晚chūnwǎn开始kāishǐ了le！”

“春晚chūnwǎn”就是jiùshì“春节联欢晚会”。这zhè是shìCCTV的de一yí个gè电视节目diànshì-jiémù，从cóng1983年nián开始kāishǐ，每年měinián过年guònián的de那天nàtiān晚上wǎnshang都dōu有yǒu。它tā从cóng八bā点diǎn开始kāishǐ，一直yìzhí到dào半夜bànyè十二shí’èr点diǎn多duō，差不多chàbuduō四个半小时sìgèbànxiǎoshí。

节目jiémù很hěn多duō：有人yǒurén唱歌chànggē，有人yǒurén跳舞tiàowǔ，还有háiyǒu小品xiáopǐn和hé相声xiàngsheng。小品xiáopǐn是shì很hěn短duǎn的de小xiǎo故事gùshi，相声xiàngsheng是shì两liǎng个gè人rén说shuō笑话xiàohua。快kuài到dào十二shí’èr点diǎn的de时候shíhou，大家dàjiā一起yìqǐ说shuō“五wǔ、四sì、三sān、二èr、一yī”，新年xīnnián就jiù到dào了le。最后zuìhòu一yì首shǒu歌gē常常chángcháng是shì《难忘今宵》。

看kàn的de人rén有yǒu多少duōshao？很hěn多duō人rén说shuō，它tā是shì世界shìjiè上shàng看kàn的de人rén最zuì多duō的de电视节目diànshì-jiémù。

现在xiànzài，很hěn多duō人rén一边yìbiān看kàn电视diànshì，一边yìbiān看kàn手机shǒujī。2015年nián，大家dàjiā一边yìbiān看kàn春晚chūnwǎn，一边yìbiān用yòng微信wēixìn拿ná红包hóngbāo：只要zhǐyào拿起náqǐ手机shǒujī摇yáo一yì摇yáo，就jiù可能kěnéng拿到nádào钱qián。那天nàtiān晚上wǎnshang，大家dàjiā一共yígòng摇yáo了le一百一十亿yìbǎiyīshíyì次cì。

每年měinián春晚chūnwǎn的de第二天dì’èrtiān，大家dàjiā都dōu会huì说shuō：“今年jīnnián的de春晚chūnwǎn没意思méiyìsi，没有méiyǒu以前yǐqián的de有意思yǒuyìsi。”

可是kěshì到dào了le明年míngnián过年guònián那天nàtiān，晚上wǎnshang八bā点diǎn，电视diànshì又yòu开kāi了le。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
奶奶nǎinaigrandmother (father's mother); grandma
开始kāishǐto begin; to start; beginning
过年guòniánto celebrate the New Year (especially Spring Festival)
跳舞tiàowǔto dance
一起yìqǐtogether
拿náto take; to hold; to carry
次cìnext; second (as in 次日)
中间zhōngjiānmiddle; center
一直yìzhíalways; all along; continuously
节目jiémùprogram; show (on TV, radio, stage)
短duǎnshort; brief
故事gùshistory; tale

English (for the teacher)

On New Year's Eve, when our family has finished dinner and it gets to eight o'clock, the TV goes on. Grandma sits in the middle and says, “The Gala's starting!”

春晚 is short for 春节联欢晚会, the Spring Festival Gala. It's a TV show on CCTV, and it has been on every New Year's Eve since 1983. It starts at eight and goes on until past midnight, about four and a half hours.

There are lots of acts: people sing, people dance, and there are sketches and crosstalk. A sketch is a very short little story, and crosstalk is two people telling jokes. Just before midnight everyone counts down together, “five, four, three, two, one”, and the new year arrives. The last song is usually 难忘今宵, “Can't Forget Tonight”.

How many people watch it? Many people say it is the most watched TV show in the world.

These days, lots of people watch TV and their phones at the same time. In 2015, people watched the Gala and collected red envelopes on WeChat at the same time: just pick up your phone and shake it, and you might get money. That night, people shook their phones eleven billion times in all.

And every year, the day after the Gala, everyone says, “This year's Gala was boring, not as fun as it used to be.”

But next New Year's Eve, at eight in the evening, the TV goes on again.