Familiar faces of the 2010 Spring Festival evening gala. [Global Times]

The CCTV Spring Festival evening gala is to many Chinese like turkey on Thanksgiving, not necessarily the most delicious part of the celebration, but without it, the festive atmosphere of the occasion is missing.

So despite countless complaints and criticisms of the four-hour made-for-TV-event that typically sports a seemingly endless array of over-the-top, slightly-outdated costume performances, it is still at the core of most Chinese families' annual routine in welcoming in the New Year. The evening gala began in 1983 and has been a tradition ever since.

Last year ratings of the broadcast reached 34.82 percent, according to research center CSM. Considering China's massive population, the gala is among the most viewed television programs in the world.

With such a large audience and increasing expectations, it is understandable that Spring Festival gala directors generally play it safe to cater to all walks of life. The program includes traditional Chinese entertainment genres such as crosstalk, short comedy sketches, big-scene song and dance performances, Western opera renditions and various types of traditional Chinese opera.

Every year the director promises a revolutionary surprise and then sticks to the original gala mode without any major differences. Even if the trimmings are changed from time to time, the turkey is still the turkey.

According to the official rundown released last Tuesday, director of the 2010 CCTV Spring Festival evening gala Jin Yue, who has directed four galas before, will basically repeat what was best received in last year's event: comedians Zhao Benshan and Xiao Shenyang will bring northeastern humor to the stage once again; magician Louis Liu will cooperate again with TV anchor Dong Qing; and a crossover between pop singer Eason Chan and folk singer Tan Jing is basically a copy of last year's performance by Jay Chou and Song Zuying, which received the best ratings of the show.

This year's gala will see one difference – the return of 1990s pop icons, Faye Wong and the Little Tigers. As the country's most popular female singer, covering both alternative and mainstream music, Wong has had numerous hits and bestselling albums in her 20-year music career. After two years' away from the music scene, Wong's appearance in this year's gala is being viewed by many as her return to the arena and is highly anticipated.

In comparison, the reunion of the Little Tigers is aimed at reliving their success of the past. As a Taiwanese idol band consisting of Alec Su, Nicky Wu and Julian Chen and formed in 1988, the Little Tigers disbanded in 1995 after producing countless hits and memories for those in their teens in the 1990s.

The Tigers' involvement is considered as the director's attempt to attract more of the younger generation, most of whom have lost interest in the gala.

The 2010 CCTV Spring Festival evening gala will be broadcast on CCTV1 at 8pm on February 13, Lunar New Year Eve. It will be simultaneously broadcast on CCTV9, CCTVE and CCTVF with English, Spanish and French subtitles.