An event to promote China Media Group's (CMG) 2026 Spring Festival Gala broadcast was held in Moscow, Russia on Tuesday, bringing together more than 1,000 people for cultural exchange.

The "Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala -- The World Watches the CMG Gala Together" event was jointly hosted by the CMG and the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia.

Shen Haixiong, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and president of the CMG, addressed the event via video link, vowing to present a cultural feast in 85 foreign languages to global audiences through the innovative application of "5G+4K/8K+AI" technologies.

Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui, Russian President's special envoy for relations with international organizations to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and the Russian chair of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development Boris Titov, along with several other senior Russian officials, also delivered speeches at the event.

During the event, Russian artist Anna Donchenko presented the CMG with a Chinese painting themed on the upcoming Chinese New Year -- which is a Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac -- on behalf of the Russian-China Friendship Committee.

The event also featured dance and music performances staged by the Russian National Ballet "Kostroma" and Chinese artists, as well as an exhibition and interaction area showcasing the CMG's creative cultural products and Chinese New Year customs, such as couplets, paper-cutting, sugar painting, and ethnic costumes to offer the guests a unique cultural experience.

The CMG has held "Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala" events around the world for three years in a row.

Recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's most-watched TV program, the Spring Festival Gala, also known as "Chunwan" in Chinese, has been a major cultural symbol for the Chinese New Year celebrations in China since its debut in 1983. On every Chinese New Year's Eve, families and friends across the country gather to enjoy a mixed show of songs, dances, comic sketches, operas, and folk arts, among other performances.

This year's Gala broadcast, ushering in the Year of the Horse, will begin at 20:00 Beijing time on Feb 16 and will be aired across multiple platforms, including CMG's 4K UHD channel, its 8K UHD channel, and various new media platforms.

The English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian-language channels of China Global Television Network (CGTN), along with 85 foreign language communication platforms, will cooperate with more than 3,300 overseas media outlets in over 200 countries and regions around the world in broadcasting and reporting on the gala.