CCTV New Year’s Gala, generally abbreviated as Chunwan (春晚), is an annual event that millions of people follow and I’m here to explain what it’s all about.

To sum it up: if you mash together an Olympic opening ceremony, Eurovision and whatever’s the most popular reality TV show at the moment—but take out all of the competitive elements—you would get Chunwan.

It’s the world’s most-watched TV program with 4.5 hours of supposedly-entertaining performances and Communist Party propaganda sprinkled in. Google’s top search results for Chunwan will tell you that it’s an integral part of Lunar New Year’s celebrations for the Chinese, but what does the actual viewing experience entail?

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