Public bidding for the post of general director of the 2008 CCTV Spring Festival Gala is scheduled to be held in China Central Television, or CCTV Friday.

It is said, in a Shanghai media report, that Lang Kun, the famous general director for 2005 and 2006 CCTV Spring Festival Galas is expected to be a hopeful winner of the bidding. However, Sina.com said it didn't see the name of the director in this year's bidding list. Others have said that Lang is now devoting himself to traditional opera programs, and wants to give chances to young directors to develop. There are also other rumors saying that popular hosts Dong Qing and Li Yong will join the race, but their names are also not found in the said list.

With the 2008 Beijing Olympics around the corner, directing of the upcoming CCTV's 2008 Spring Festival gala, also the 25th time the national big cultural and entertainment showcase is brought before Chinese audiences at home and abroad, is widely believed to have much tougher challenges.

More directors are reported to run this years' bidding. Candidates will deliver a speech first, and then debate questions from TV experts. The whole process is under strict confidentiality, forbidding interviews and professional reporting.

CCTV will possibly unveil the result at the beginning of September.
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(CRI.cn August 3, 2007)