New faces for Spring Festival Gala(2)

Zhu Xun, one of eight people to host this year's show, speaks at a news conference on Monday to announce members of the hosting team. Photo provided to China Daily

In the past decade, CCTV has been seen making clear attempts to appeal to the youth. Eye-candy pop stars, once reportedly deemed by CCTV to be too amateur for such a traditional stage－especially those rising to fame through reality TV shows, have made regular appearances on Chunwan in recent years.

This year, pop singer Zhang Liangying will perform on her third Chunwan, alongside her onetime fellow contestant at Hunan TV's Super Girl show and now super idol Li Yuchun. Surprising names on this year's star list also include Lu Han and Wu Yifan, both former members of a South Korea-produced boy band who've achieved enormous popularity, especially among the post-1990 generation.

"Every year Chunwan features a certain number of new faces, to both give voice to talented young artists and satisfy the needs of young audiences," 2015 Chunwan's song and dance director Wang Gongguan told Chinese media.

Appearances by foreign celebrities are also part of Chunwan's growing appeal to young people, with actor and singer Lee Min-ho becoming the first South Korean pop icon to take the stage in 2014. Foreign stars who have previously performed at the Lunar New Year extravaganza include Celine Dion and Sophie Marceau.

As more foreign faces appear on the Chunwan stage, the gala is also looking to go outside.

CCTV is ready to license the rights to broadcast Chunwan to foreign TV stations for free, said Zhao Wenjiang, deputy director of CCTV programming center, at a news briefing on Monday.

This ongoing global campaign for Chunwan also includes a program package, consisting of selected programs from previous galas and three gala-themed documentaries, which will be telecast in English, Hindi, Portuguese and other languages across 24 TV networks in 16 countries.

The programs will also be launched via social media platforms such as YouTube, Google Plus and Twitter to reach an expected 230 countries and regions, says Ma Runsheng, assistant to the president of China International Television Corporation.

"Our purpose is to give overseas Chinese and foreigners who are interested in Chinese culture a chance to see Chunwan," Ma says.

David Moser, scholar of Chinese cultural studies and now a host with CCTV's English channel, was chosen to perform in a skit by foreigners at the Gala in 1999. He says that Chunwan is a valuable window for foreigners to understand Chinese society better.

It has become even more so in recent years, as many Chunwan programs have become more socially relevant by encompassing social problems and controversies, he says.