China Entertainment’s rescue plan is hard to come by

Chapter 999 Program Submission Notice

Office of the Spring Festival Gala Preparatory Group, Arts and Culture Program Center.

Ha Wen was carefully checking the final draft of the "Notice on Soliciting Programs for the 2014 CCTV Spring Festival Gala," which was about to be distributed to provincial television stations across the country.

She could almost recite the contents of the notice by heart, but being cautious and competitive by nature, she insisted that there could be no mistakes.

Program content requirements:

It is positive, healthy, and uplifting, promotes the main theme, spreads positive energy, and conforms to relevant national policies and publicity guidelines.

It combines cultural innovation, artistic appeal, and popularity with the masses.

We will give special encouragement to original works that embody China's outstanding traditional culture, national characteristics, and contemporary spirit.

We must eliminate vulgar, lowbrow, and pandering content to ensure political security, broadcast security, and content security.

Program types:

Singing and dancing, language-based performances (skits, crosstalk, etc.), opera, acrobatics/magic/martial arts, creative performances/visual shows
Her gaze lingered on the "Creative Performance/Visual Show" for a second longer. This was a new form of stage performance, one that Sun Yi had emphasized must be added at the program coordination meeting, saying it best embodied innovation and breakthrough.

Harvin neither confirmed nor denied this, but still picked up a red pen and lightly put a checkmark next to it to indicate that the check was complete.

To be fair, setting aside my disapproval of some of Sun Yi's "ambitious" ideas, I agree with his proposal that this year's Spring Festival Gala should emphasize the two core artistic directions of "emotional warmth" and "new charm of traditional Chinese style," except that he did not give special emphasis to the educational significance.

Having worked at CCTV for many years, she has directed numerous large-scale galas, including last year's official Spring Festival Gala. She deeply understands that the most valuable asset of the Spring Festival Gala is the emotional bond that connects thousands of families, as well as the cultural symbolism it carries.

As long as Sun Yi doesn't engage in unrealistic, sensationalist "high-tech gimmicks" or "innovations" that cross red lines, and instead focuses on developing solid and engaging programs in these two areas, she is willing to support the young director's work.

After all, as the assistant director of the organizing committee, I am experienced and can be considered his "senior." I have a responsibility to help him ensure the smooth running of the event.

As for its educational value, that's not really a big deal during the program's submission phase; she'll add that aspect during the initial review.

After checking it again, she called over a staff member: "The document is ready. Stamp it with the center's seal and the Spring Festival Gala's director team's seal, and distribute it to the provincial TV stations as soon as possible through official channels. Send out the reminder notices as well, emphasizing the deadlines."

"Okay, Director Ha." The staff member took the documents and quickly left.

Harvin breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the documents being taken away.

This is the most crucial step in the early stages of preparation for the Spring Festival Gala each year – program solicitation.

She knew the process by heart. After the notice was issued, television stations in various provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, as well as some stations in cities with independent planning status, important arts troupes, and military arts troupes would carefully prepare programs according to the requirements. This was the main source of programs for the Spring Festival Gala, commonly known as "local submissions".

Each provincial-level unit may submit one program in principle, with exceptions for exceptionally outstanding or special categories. In addition, the directing team will proactively extend "special invitations" to some well-known artists, groups, or individuals based on the overall design of the gala, and will also solicit some creative programs from the public.

Ultimately, after layers of screening, review, revision, and refinement, approximately 40 to 50 programs will be broadcast live on New Year's Eve. This is a massive and meticulously planned project, and any oversight in any环节 could lead to subsequent setbacks.

Now that the "Program Solicitation Notice" has been issued, it proves that the preparations for the Spring Festival Gala are fully on track, and she, as the second person in charge of the directing team, can finally relax a little.

To be honest, the first coordination meeting didn't go well, especially the budget and technology upgrade requirements raised by Sun Yi, which left a deep impression on her. At the time, she was thinking that she couldn't let this "outsider" Sun Yi mess things up without any organization or discipline.

Fortunately, Sun Yi later chose to comply and did not bring up the matter again, focusing on finalizing the core of the program, which made her more agreeable.

The overall preparations proceeded as planned, and even a few days were saved, giving local TV stations about a month to prepare.

By the end of November, we will collect program video samples. In December, we will begin the first round of preliminary review and evaluation by the director and expert group. Some will be eliminated, and the best ones will be selected for the second review and final review. Rehearsals will begin directly in January.

Although the overall preparation work was time-sensitive, it was well-organized and could be scheduled according to the timetable. Haven felt that the pressure on his shoulders had been reduced.

She glanced at her watch; there was still some time before she got off work. So she picked up her notebook and thermos, got up, and headed towards the construction site of the studio.

I've been arguing with Sun Yi every day lately, trying to figure out the core of the program, and I haven't had a chance to even glance at the studio.

Before Sun Yi arrived, she used to visit the construction site every day.

It's no exaggeration to say that the studio's upgrade and renovation plan was her brainchild. From the initial concept drawings to countless technical demonstration meetings and safety assessment meetings, and then to every detail of the construction drawings, she was deeply involved and proposed many key designs.

Calling this her "achievement project" wouldn't be wrong. Every day, she would go to the site to check on the progress, touch the brand-new equipment and stage, and exchange a few words with the construction manager. This gave her a strange sense of peace and accomplishment.

Today's inspection proceeded as usual. Inside the studio, construction is in its final stages.

The massive LED main screen and side screens have been installed and are undergoing final pixel calibration. The lighting trusses are in place, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen. All the seats in the audience area have been installed, and construction workers are removing the protective films one by one. Although the overall environment is still somewhat messy, a sense of order that is "nearing completion" is already evident.

Haven walked slowly along the reserved passageway, stopping occasionally to check some details. The site manager from the construction company accompanied him, explaining the progress:

"Director Ha, rest assured, all procedures are proceeding according to schedule, and some areas are even slightly ahead of schedule. We guarantee full completion and acceptance by next week at the latest."

"Hmm, the progress is well controlled."

Harvin nodded, then gave a serious warning.

"The closer we get to the end, the less we can afford to relax. Quality is paramount; every screw must be tightened, and every circuit must be thoroughly tested. Safety is also crucial—construction safety, fire safety, equipment safety—absolutely no mistakes can be tolerated! This is the Spring Festival Gala stage, watched by the entire nation and even the world; there can be no room for carelessness!"

"Yes, yes, Director Ha, please rest assured. We emphasize this every day, our technicians repeatedly debug, and our safety officers conduct regular inspections. We would never dare to be careless," the person in charge assured him repeatedly.

Just as Harvin finished listening to the report and was about to go check the main control room again, an unusual commotion came from the entrance of the studio, mixed with the sound of a truck reversing and the low shouts of the workers.

Harvin frowned. Why would a large vehicle be coming in at this hour? She gestured for the person in charge to follow and quickly walked towards the entrance.

Outside the studio, in the temporarily designated loading and unloading area, three container trucks were parked. With the cargo compartments open, workers dressed in uniform dark blue overalls were carefully unloading equipment of various sizes, wrapped in protective foam and wooden crates, from the trucks.

"Stop! What are you doing here?"

(End of this chapter)