As the Spring Festival holiday approaches, CCTV 4, China's international channel, plans to provide a special TV feast aimed at both domestic and overseas Chinese-speaking audiences.

Starting midday on February 18, Chinese New Year's Eve, an 8-hour-long live program titled Chinese Festival Legend-Spring Festival will air around the world, followed by a 4-hour-long live Spring Festival Gala.

This will be the first time that CCTV 4 will air a 12-hour-long block of continuous Spring Festival programs.

The live broadcast will cooperate with 10 broadcasting stations in China including Qufu in Shandong Province, Longshan in Hunan Province and Xuexiang in Heilongjiang Province to show off the different customs of local areas during the Spring Festival.

It will also cooperate with overseas stations in the UK, Thailand and South Korea, to broadcast events celebrating Spring Festival in different countries.

Special guests will also be invited to the studio to discuss Spring Festival culture, including international pianist Lang Lang, scholar Yu Dan and folklore culture expert Xiao Fang.

Special programs will also be broadcast on CCTV 4 starting from the first to the 11th day of the Spring Festival including variety shows, cultural programs, movies and documentaries.

Global Times