*The annual cultural offering spread beyond Beijing, with secondary locations hosting stages in four other Chinese cities. Their selection signifies China's economy advancing across multiple sectors and transitioning towards high-quality development.

*Harbin embodies the rejuvenation of the old industrial base in the northeast, while Hefei represents the rise of China's central regions. Yiwu is an example of opening-up in the east, and Yibin is a transportation hub in the southwest.

*Together, they showcase China's diverse development.

BEIJING, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- For many Chinese people, the Year of the Horse began officially with the opening notes of China Central Television's (CCTV's) "Spring Festival Gala." On Monday, the annual cultural offering spread beyond Beijing, with secondary locations hosting stages in four other Chinese cities.

These cities are Yibin in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Harbin in the northeastern Heilongjiang Province, Hefei in the eastern Anhui Province, and Yiwu -- probably the most familiar location for international viewers, famed as the "world's supermarket" -- in east China's Zhejiang Province.

"Their selection signifies China's economy advancing across multiple sectors and transitioning towards high-quality development," said Wang Ying, a researcher with the Academy of China Open Economy Studies at the University of International Business and Economics.

TRANSFORMATION OF CHINA'S SMALL COMMODITIES HUB

Yiwu's selection was a nod to how far the city has progressed from its beginnings as a roadside market -- a journey which can be traced through families like Qian Rourou's.

As work for the holiday intensified, Qian, general manager of the Zhejiang Xiaohuoban Cultural Creativity Company, was busy planning the opening of a third store in the Global Digital Trade Center, which was the location of one of the "Spring Festival Gala" stages.

In 1995, her in-laws started the company with a 1-square-meter stall that sold stationery. A factory later followed, and today, the family operates six stores in the Yiwu International Trade Market, which is the world's largest small-commodities wholesale hub.

"We've been in stationery and creative products for more than 30 years, across two generations," Qian said. The company now employs its own designers and illustrators, develops original characters and builds virtual social communities around its brands. Roughly half of its products are sold overseas, reaching 132 countries and regions across Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

"What the gala shows global audiences is that Chinese creativity, aesthetics and brands are becoming part of everyday life," Qian said.

Having opened officially in October 2025, the Global Digital Trade Center marks Yiwu's latest move in its transformation from a traditional wholesale model to a digitally integrated trade ecosystem.

More than 3,700 new merchants have since moved in, spanning eight emerging sectors like creative toys, smart equipment and fashion jewelry. More than half are young entrepreneurs, many of whom are running their own brands or sell IP-based products.

"There used to be a saying that Yiwu was just 'a porter of goods,'" said Zhu Xingping, the center's deputy general manager. "Now we are moving upstream into design and R&D, and downstream into services like payments and digital logistics to create new value and improve efficiency."

To tackle long-standing challenges ranging from design to overseas expansion, Yiwu has rolled out a suite of AI tools tailored to the small-commodities trade. Merchants can now generate designs, create visuals and translate promotional videos into multiple languages in just a few clicks.

"China's market is amazing," said Alik Mufalisev, a trader from Georgia who has been sourcing hair accessories in Yiwu for 15 years. "Otherwise I wouldn't keep coming back."

Infrastructure and policy have helped sustain that momentum behind the scenes. In 2025, Yiwu's total foreign trade surpassed 800 billion yuan (about 115 billion U.S. dollars) for the first time, according to local customs data. Exports rose more than 24 percent, and imports over 32 percent.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE, ICE SCULPTURE AND THE YANGTZE RIVER

More than 500 kilometers away in the rising innovation hub of Hefei, the night sky was lit up by a dazzling drone display featuring the city's iconic landmarks and dynamic imagery of galloping horses. A "Spring Festival Gala" stage had been erected inside the Luogang Park, which was once the site of a civil airport.

The sprawling park is one of many application zones that Hefei authorities have opened for the testing of new technologies, products and business models, and technology innovation enterprises have clustered around the park.

Jia Yajun has worked at Aistartek (Hefei) IC Design Co., Ltd. since he graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China. The firm was founded in 2022 and specializes in vehicle-mounted vision technology.

Jia, who has turned down job opportunities in major cities, and his team have been busy developing core algorithms for intelligent cameras for the automotive sector. "The gala has brought Hefei's technological innovation capabilities into the global spotlight," Jia said, highlighting the city's robust sci-tech atmosphere, solid industrial foundations and support for entrepreneurs to translate technological achievements into industrial benefits.

And a broader innovation blueprint is taking shape, with Hefei achieving breakthroughs in cutting-edge fields such as controllable nuclear fusion and quantum technology. Emerging industries like new energy vehicles (NEVs) and photovoltaic energy storage have also flourished there, contributing to regional development.

Notably, Hefei is home to China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), which has been dubbed an "artificial sun" due to its unique fusion process that simulates that of the sun. Last year, EAST broke a world record by maintaining a steady-state, high-confinement plasma operation for 1,066 seconds.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), emerging industries such as NEVs, photovoltaics, and low-altitude, shipbuilding and marine engineering equipment expanded rapidly, enhancing the reputation of the "Made in China" label. The country has committed to implementing a series of initiatives and actions aimed at developing and strengthening emerging and future industries further during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

In Hefei, the output value of strategic emerging industries accounts for more than 60 percent of the total for designated-scale industries, according to its municipal government's 2026 work report. Over the past five years, its number of new R&D institutions has doubled to 63, and it now has more than 10,000 national high-tech enterprises.

While Yiwu and Hefei made their debut appearances on the televised gala, China's "Ice City" of Harbin had been selected for the third time, underscoring the momentum of China's ice and snow economy.

From 2016 to 2024, the scale of China's ice and snow industry surged from 364.7 billion yuan to 980 billion yuan, and is expected to have surpassed 1 trillion yuan in 2025, according to the 2025 China Ice and Snow Economy Development Report.

The stage was set in the iconic Harbin Ice-Snow World. The world's largest ice and snow theme park opened for this year's winter season on Dec. 17, unveiling its most spectacular offering yet, featuring magnificent ice sculptures across a record 1.2 million square meters.

"Harbin will present an extravaganza blending tradition and fashion, folk culture and international style, as well as ice, snow and technology," Lan Feng, head of Harbin's publicity department, said ahead of the show. "It is our hope that the charms of the Ice City will reach the world through the window of the 'Spring Festival Gala.'"

This wish has been echoed by Liu Yuwei, deputy director of the Bureau of Ecology and Environment of Yibin City.

Yibin is known as the first city on the Yangtze River, and for its unique geographical location, as well as its rich historical and cultural heritage. Boasting a history of 2,200 years, it is today famed for its liquor, bamboo, tea and green industries, and is world's largest single-site power battery production base.

"The 'Spring Festival Gala,' an iconic cultural event in China, has given Yibin exposure to promote ecological civilization development," Liu said.

On the four secondary venues, Liu Daqiao, a writer in Sichuan who used to work for the publicity department of Yibin City, said: "Harbin embodies the rejuvenation of the old industrial base in the northeast, while Hefei represents the rise of China's central regions. Yiwu is an example of opening-up in the east, and Yibin is a transportation hub in the southwest."

"Together, they showcase China's diverse development," he said.   

(Video reporters: Ji Hang, Huang Xiao, Liu Che and He Shan; video editors: Lin Lin and Wei Yin)■