The CCTV Spring Festival Gala that has been held for 25 sessions is currently in the midst of intensive preparations. Netizen Laomeng has thrown down the gauntlet at this traditional New Year's Eve dinner, planning to host a "Rural Spring Festival Gala" that will be live-streamed on the internet on Chinese New Year's Eve. Not only has he plastered his dedicated vehicle with slogans such as "Challenging the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, Wishing the Whole Nation a Happy New Year," but he has also, in response to the strong demands of netizens, specially rented an office to establish an organizing committee. In just a few days, this seemingly far-fetched idea has received enthusiastic support from a large number of netizens across the country and has quickly entered the substantive operational phase.
The idea for this Rural Spring Festival Gala originated from the creative mind of Shi Mengqi (Laomeng), a Sichuan native who is a Beijing drifter. He works in computer information in Beijing, and over a month ago, during a chat with friends, he came up with the idea of hosting a "rural version of the Spring Festival Gala." Shi Mengqi also stated that they already have more than 500 programs from all over the country. Currently, the organizing committee has secured sponsorship from six companies, with sponsorship fees nearing one million yuan. The hot topic of the Rural Spring Festival Gala challenging the CCTV Spring Festival Gala has been featured prominently on major websites and widely reported by numerous television and print media outlets. Regarding this, Shi Mengqi casually said: "No pressure. CCTV won't pay attention to us! CCTV's Spring Festival Gala is very powerful, and the Rural Spring Festival Gala is also very powerful. Our strength lies in the fact that the common people are paying close attention, and our strength lies in everyone's wisdom."