Spring Gala 2026

Well, last night dumpling night, and we had some friends over and watched the Spring Gala. Happy Year of the Horse, y'alls!

Some Spring Gala links:

- the intro song that introduces the 4 locations of the year (Harbin, Hefei, Yiwu, Yibing): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGXOL3lcPo&t=20s
- The thesis of the year, nominally a song celebrating tech advancements and smart devices, but featuring the words: "The future is already here, the product of hard work and intellect. Low-key yet clever. We are made in China" holy shit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGXOL3lcPo&t=1734s
- kung fu robots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGXOL3lcPo&t=1425s (related: convenience store worker robot? https://youtu.be/AXf9vc_7Wgw?si=d-42NFLmpl7e4CO0&t=2781 snarky kid robot? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGXOL3lcPo&t=691s )
- probably the most c-pop song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGXOL3lcPo&t=2426s
- extremely hokey song about turning the Fu upside down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpOF_7foKBQ&t=2029s (but also has the astronauts, and I always like the astronauts)
- Hmmm.... "Formosa Love Song", a segment about how Taiwan and Fujian are just separated by a small strait and are celebrating the spring together? Right a song honoring mothers? Featuring a bunch of Taiwan songs? Wonder what's going on here: https://youtu.be/MpOF_7foKBQ?si=Mh5W-ZaZXRPBOUZQ&t=3362
- cute "come to dinner" segment/ad 公益广告: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXf9vc_7Wgw&t=2299s
- a song celebrating labor and being creative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXf9vc_7Wgw&t=1880s
- OMG the army one this year is quite ... intimidating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5pzkcbSwcQ&t=567s
- here's the "we are all 1 china" one, with some great shots of infrastructure. Phases naturally into the new year countdown with shots of all the locations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5pzkcbSwcQ&t=840s
- cute juggling one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5pzkcbSwcQ&t=335s
- utterly incomprehensible "horse dance": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5pzkcbSwcQ&t=2348s
- cute "sound of spring" orchestra/dance one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5pzkcbSwcQ&t=2608s
- what is masculinity, song one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXf9vc_7Wgw&t=983s , song 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5pzkcbSwcQ&t=1529s (featuring bad CG of Xubeihong horses :( ) Does the weird horse dance count as masculinity song 3?

The ethnic minorities are integrated in an interesting way this year. Like, actual dance troupes from the actual regions, but not like, not as obviously labeling them? (Well, except the Mongolian one lol)
- a Xinjiang dance celebrating the silk road: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGXOL3lcPo&t=3797s
- it's a song featuring little kids dressed as various ethnic minorities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGXOL3lcPo&t=4067s And the kids themselves are from Guizhou, so... sorta win?
- a song of farmers celebrating the harvest, featuring actual farmers from Ningxia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpOF_7foKBQ&t=80s
- Mongolian folk song, featuring DeDeMa and actual people from inner mongolia! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpOF_7foKBQ&t=1670s , and starts in Mongolian
- a stomping-based dance-off between Spanish, Hungarian, and some Chinese ethnic minority dancers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXf9vc_7Wgw&t=4563s

Locations:
- Harbing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXf9vc_7Wgw&t=511s there's penguins? and of course ice skating, and Russian architecture, and also a parody of the winter olympics. And a giant digital snowman??? and ballet?)
- Yibing 宜宾 (Sichuan): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGXOL3lcPo&t=3328s (some drumming, some robots, some robot pandas, a riverboat, some drones)
- Yiwu (Zhejiang): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpOF_7foKBQ&t=1213s (robot monkey king, and then Jackie Chan and Lionel Richie singing "We are the world" for some reason???
- Hefei (Anhui): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXf9vc_7Wgw&t=3853s (overly digitized, but also chinese opera? but also giant statue of 夸父 of all people? And a GIANT EYE of Technology???)


Gotta know Chinese for these:
- a surprisingly critical one of Chinese bureaucracy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXf9vc_7Wgw&t=3152s
- cute 相声 about buying veggies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGXOL3lcPo&t=2689s