It was hosted by Liu Xiaoqing, Ma Ji, Jiang Kun, and Wang Jingyu, and the studio had four telephones accepting live requests from callers nationwide.
[6] Huang and his colleagues took considerable political risk broadcasting the live show, as pop singers such as Li Guyi were at the time under attack by hardliners as "spiritual pollution", and one of her most popular songs, Hometown Love (乡恋), was still officially banned.
[7] With the permission from Wu Lengxi, the Minister of Radio and Television who was in the audience, Li Guyi performed the song for the first time on national TV.
Its 2008 silver jubilee edition also added up to the hype and excitement regarding the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, CCTV being official national broadcaster of the Games.
[10] Throughout the years, officials in charge of propaganda and media control, including Ding Guangen, Li Changchun, and Liu Yunshan, have paid visits to the Chunwan production team.
[9] Beginning in the 1990s, the show has consistently included one segment featuring a video montage of Communist Party leaders accompanied by background music.
Shown every year were images of those considered paramount leaders, including Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao.
For example, the 2011 show featured a rendition of a patriotic song that emphasized Hu Jintao's Harmonious Society and Scientific Development Concept ideologies.
In 2012 there was minimal political content, though parts of the show alluded to "building a strong nation" and the 18th Party Congress which was to be held in the fall of that year.
The 2014 show, however, was again peppered with political enhancements throughout that paid homage to General Secretary Xi Jinping's "Chinese Dream" ideology, in addition to several nationalistic-themed songs.
The 2015 show, reportedly one of the most closely managed affairs in years,[12] prominently featured Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign, with three comedy routines being linked to the theme.
In addition, in a remarkable departure from convention, the 2015 show also featured Xi Jinping exclusively in a lengthy video montage during an opera-style song entitled "Give my Heart to You".
Many of the Gala's most prominent singers have a background in the performing arts troupe of the PLA, including Yan Weiwen, Song Zuying, Dong Wenhua and Peng Liyuan.
This made the show appear uncoordinated and exceptionally slow on television; the edition lasted over six hours and remains the longest gala on record.
[16] In the 2007 edition, just before the clock struck midnight, the six hosts of the show assembled on stage suffered a mass breakdown referred to as the "dark three minutes".
Zhu Jun, Zhou Tao, Li Yong, Dong Qing, Zhang Zequn and Liu Fangfei collectively started a chain of misread and mistimed lines.
The 2015 skit "Goddesses and Tomboys" (女神和女汉子), led by Jia Ling, faced particular derision online for its portrayal of strong female roles in society and its insensitive depiction of the "sheng nu" phenomenon.
[18] In 2016, the Gala was criticized for planning to include a "virtual mascot", modeled in 3D based on a painting of a monkey by Han Meilin that was described as "a monster" and "ugly" by many.
The skit featured Chinese actress Lou Naiming wearing blackface and a prosthetic buttocks to portray the mother of an African woman.
Since the beginning of this program many great stars of Chinese pop music have been discovered, comedians started their careers, and Taiwan and Hong Kong singers earning not just exposure to mainland viewers but also attention from fans around the world watching the Gala live or on demand.
An appearance by any major Mandopop star on the Gala will expose his or her music to overseas audiences, a newcomer's first song in the program guarantees not just fame and stardom but also a fanbase of millions of TV and online viewers.