This year’s Spring Festival Gala wasn’t all that great.

Zhao Benshan once said in an interview, “When artistic creation becomes too lofty, it tends to lose its vitality.”

I agree with that, but I also understand this year’s Spring Festival Gala.

The past year was difficult, and 2023 will certainly not be smooth sailing either; we still have hurdles to overcome. It is precisely at times like these that we need to continuously rally our resolve and unify our thinking.

Viewing the Gala from this perspective, you’ll discover that the underlying messages behind many of the performances are actually quite thought-provoking.

01 Red Envelopes and the “Platform Economy”

Surprisingly, not a single major internet company participated in this year’s Spring Festival Gala red envelope giveaway.

Not only were giants like Alibaba absent, but even Douyin and Kuaishou were missing.

On the surface, this can certainly be attributed to corporate strategy:

After years of “throwing money around” to attract new users, WeChat, Alipay, Douyin, and Kuaishou have entered an era of competition for existing users. Continuing to spend lavishly makes little sense.

In reality, this reflects a shift in policy direction.

The government no longer supports the practice of major internet companies using “cash giveaways” to aggressively vie for existing users.

Remember? In December 2021, the Central Economic Work Conference proposed setting up “traffic lights” for capital to harness its positive role.

After a year of implementation and refinement, the corresponding regulatory framework should now be relatively mature, and the "traffic lights" have been clearly established.

That is why this year’s Central Economic Work Conference called for “supporting platform companies to play a leading role in driving development, creating jobs, and competing internationally.”

This year’s Spring Festival Gala also featured a sketch titled “Coming Right Up,” which depicted delivery riders and ride-hailing drivers.

Immediately following this, Huang Bo performed a song titled “Little Brother.”

It is worth acknowledging that the employment opportunities for these delivery workers were created by platform companies.

So, can these platform companies further demonstrate their capabilities in areas such as “leading development and competing internationally”?

I’ve noticed that Video Accounts have begun experimenting with live-streaming e-commerce during the Spring Festival Gala.

This is what the nation is hoping for.

02 Grassroots Performers and “Private Enterprises”

Stand-up comedians took the stage at the Spring Festival Gala for the second consecutive year.

In 2022, Wang Mian and Da Zhangwei teamed up for a “music stand-up” act, but it really wasn’t funny.

This year, the lineup of Zhao Xiaohui, Qiu Rui, He Guangzhi, and Xu Zhisheng—the “Laughing Fruit” troupe—was indeed just a tiny bit funnier.

These performers all come from humble backgrounds.

Their “jokes” resonate more closely with the lives of ordinary people and have strong staying power, which is why they’ve gone viral across the internet and gained countless fans.

Now that they’ve made it to the Spring Festival Gala, it’s a form of official recognition.

This reminds me of another type of grassroots entity—private enterprises.

In 1978, China began supporting individual businesses, and Nian Guangjiu was hailed as a first-generation private entrepreneur. He founded a sunflower seed brand called “Shazi Sunflower Seeds.”

From that point on, the private sector came to be known as the “grassroots economy.”

What does “grassroots” mean?

It is resilient—it flourishes with a little sunshine and sprouts with a little rain. Even today, some experts still refer to private enterprises as the “grassroots economy.”

But in 2023, China’s private enterprises are no longer just “grassroots”; they are becoming the “roots” of China.

Among China’s Top 500 Manufacturing Companies, 362 are private enterprises, accounting for 72.4%.

Among China’s Top 500 New Economy Enterprises, 422 are private enterprises, accounting for 84.4%.
Among the more than 5,000 A-share listed companies, 3,168 are private enterprises, accounting for 63%.
In Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Fujian—the major economic provinces that rank among the top contributors to tax revenue—the private sector accounts for more than 50% of GDP in all of them.

If the private sector were still a grassroots movement today, how could China’s economy have grown to become the world’s second-largest? How could there have been industrial upgrading or the emergence of “lighthouse factories”?

In 2023, as we face economic recovery, we must acknowledge:

A strong private sector means a strong China; confidence in private enterprises means confidence in China.

Today, the private sector is the root of China’s economy.

In the new year, please treat the private sector with care and vigorously support these roots that generate massive tax revenues, technological innovations, and job opportunities.

It is worth noting that Zhao Xiaohui is not actually a full-time stand-up comedian.

She was originally a female factory worker at GAC, but has since moved to Wenjuan Zhixing, a unicorn company in the autonomous driving sector.

This shift from the traditional automotive industry to the new energy vehicle and smart technology sectors aligns with the direction of industrial upgrading and the flow of high-caliber talent.

03 Zhou Shen and “Aging”

The lyrics of Zhou Shen’s “Flowers Bloom, Forget Sorrow” go like this:

I bought flowers at the alley entrance, walked past the red walls and blue-tiled roofs lining the street, as the setting sun slowly kissed my white hair. When we grow old, we’ll return to our childhood, picking green plums to brew wine—you’re not allowed to sneak a sip.

An elderly couple, leaning on each other.

The scene is beautiful, but the issue of an aging population is indeed upon us.

In 2022, China experienced negative population growth for the first time, sparking widespread discussion. Experts and scholars rushed to offer advice, as if the sky were about to fall.

Although the Spring Festival Gala did not feature any skits on the theme of “encouraging childbirth,” programs like “First Encounter Photo Studio” and “50 Seconds of Eye Contact” still addressed the dating and marriage concerns of young people.

Over 30 years ago, we panicked just as much—but for the exact opposite extreme.

Back then, we were worried there were too many people.

Back then, we believed that China’s optimal population should be 700 million. As long as we kept it around 700 million, we could achieve true prosperity and happiness.

Now that the population has started to decline, we’re panicking again, worried that an aging population will jeopardize the nation’s future.

As the saying goes: “He who fails to plan ahead will face immediate troubles.”

But by constantly bringing future worries forward and using our current mindset to predict a developing, more distant future, might we end up shooting ourselves in the foot?

The reality today is—

The elderly say: Medical advances mean seniors can still make significant contributions
Young people say: Delaying retirement will affect job opportunities for the young
Experts say: An aging population will cause an economic recession

Nature says: Don’t interfere with nature

Compared to negative population growth, what we’re actually more concerned about is whether life in 2023 will be any better.

Creating the right environment, removing constraints, and revitalizing the economy so that everyone can earn a living—these are the issues we should be most concerned about right now, and they are the most fundamental ones.

As for those distant concerns, let time take care of them.

04 Dance and "The Rise of a Great Power"

Do you remember the 2022 dance program?

"Only This Green."

Inspired by the famous Song Dynasty painting “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains,” it was filmed at Mount Lu and Poyang Lake in Jiangxi.

Three dancers performed tai chi at three iconic landmarks: Lujiazui in Shanghai, the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, and the “Eye in the Clouds” in Chongqing.

These represent the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Chengdu-Chongqing metropolitan areas—all located south of the Yangtze River.

In comparison, the north seems somewhat neglected.

What message did this year’s dance convey?

The Chinese people are rich in martial virtue:

▲ “Zhongfan,” a tradition derived from ancient military ceremonial commands.
▲ Shaolin monks from the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song in Dengfeng City, Zhengzhou, Henan Province.

When Pelosi made her unauthorized visit to Taiwan this August, we responded forcefully with “island blockade” drills, bringing the cause of reunification one step closer.

Amid the energy crisis, European consumers are snapping up Chinese heating essentials like electric blankets and air-source heat pumps.

A significant portion of these small commodities exported to Europe originate from small counties in the Jiangnan region.

The Chinese people have a rich heritage:

In 2022, China’s R&D investment exceeded 3 trillion yuan, further narrowing the gap with the United States.

From military affairs to the economy and technology, today’s China has made the world take notice.

In this process, the contributions of the north have been no less significant than those of the south.

Moreover, judging by this year’s GDP data, growth rates in the north have generally outpaced those in the south, signaling a shift in the established pattern.

It is worth noting that in the performance of “Man Ting Fang: National Beauty,” Zhao Liying was given the opportunity to sing a solo.
A solo performance on the Spring Festival Gala is quite an honor.

Last year, during her debut on the Spring Festival Gala, her performance was scheduled before *Unforgettable Tonight* and was merely a quartet.

Looking back at 2022, Zhao Liying’s career has been on a roll.

The TV dramas she starred in, *Blooming in Mid-Summer* and *Happiness for Every Family*, repeatedly broke viewership records, with Douban ratings as high as 8.2 and 7.1, respectively. Moreover, she successfully portrayed two iconic characters: 1. A private entrepreneur in the early days of reform and opening-up 2. A leader in rural revitalization in the new era

The private economy, rural revitalization, and entrepreneurship are all directions strongly advocated by the state.

To deliver such mainstream “tribute dramas” with such brilliance truly demonstrates a high level of skill—and this is precisely the role an actor should play as the nation rises to prominence.

With great ability comes great responsibility.

For a celebrity, tax compliance is merely the bare minimum.

More importantly, one must ensure that one’s immense influence remains controllable, helps reduce social friction, and lowers the costs of social governance.

In recent years, we have seen reports of Zhao Liying donating to Shanghai during the pandemic and serving as a tourism ambassador for her hometown in Hebei...

What have you done for the rise of China?

This will remain a question for a long time to come.

05 Shen Teng and the “Lying-Down-Style Officials”

In recent years, Shen Teng’s skits have become a set topic.

Dedicated to satire.

Last year’s *Will You Pay or Not?* seemed tailor-made for Evergrande. Following that, ensuring the completion of housing projects and preventing financial risks among top real estate firms became key priorities for 2022.

The 2021 sketch *Going Through the Motions* satirized “formalism.”

This year’s *The Pitfall* satirizes “laid-back officials” who “shirk responsibility, fail to act, and are unwilling or afraid to take initiative.”

The term “lying flat” has actually been around for quite some time.

Initially, it referred to workers choosing to “lie flat” in the face of intense competition; later, companies began “lying flat” amid the pandemic; and eventually, even officials started “lying flat.”

At the Politburo meeting on December 6, the General Secretary emphasized the need to “stimulate the vitality of the entire society to get things done and pursue innovation, so that officials dare to act, local governments dare to pioneer, enterprises dare to take initiative, and the people dare to innovate.”

Among these four “dares,” officials daring to act ranks first.

As the saying goes, confidence is more precious than gold.

Although the obstacles posed by the pandemic have gradually faded, most people remain on the sidelines. Banks still hold trillions of yuan in excess reserves that cannot be converted into consumption or investment.

The confidence of enterprises and the public will not recover so quickly; officials must lead by example.

I believe that disciplinary inspection and supervision authorities will soon introduce concrete measures to punish “passive officials.”

However, it is important to note that policy signals do not directly translate into confidence.

Entrepreneurs don’t really care how many “slacking officials” you’ve punished; they only care whether they are operating in a fair and equitable environment.

Investors also need to see improved corporate earnings and be assured that the weakest economy in decades has not severely impacted Chinese consumers.

We are all part of this, so we naturally understand.

06 The Past and the Future

There were two rather interesting songs at this year’s Spring Festival Gala.

One is called “Toasted to the Past Several Times.” The original lyrics are rather melancholic:

Men love cars and houses, using them as excuses to save face; they’ve gone mad yet still pretend to be carefree. Then they complain about making ends meet, earning a salary, loving their wives, and doting on their children; they go home to be dutiful sons, only to be stood up by their friends.

The Spring Festival Gala version was changed to:

People must keep moving forward, give the finger to the passing years, pat their chests, and look up to the future with hope. Live a decent life, earn a salary, love your wife, cherish your children; before you know it, half your life is gone, yet you must still maintain your cool.

It can be said that by simply borrowing the song title and melody and rewriting the lyrics, it has completely transformed into an uplifting style.

So for China, what kind of past is beautiful, yet one we must raise a glass to and bid farewell to?

Clearly not the pandemic.

Rather, it is the era of rapid economic growth since the Reform and Opening-Up.

China’s economy has transitioned from a phase of rapid growth to one of high-quality development, and the most obvious sign of this is the slowdown in growth rates.

Of course, we will miss the past, but we must also remain confident in our path and not return to the old ways.

Another song is “It’ll Be Okay Soon.”

The message of this song needs no further explanation:

We’ll go see a movie together

Go to a bar together

Travel far away together

We’ll gather with friends and celebrate over drinks

Share our worries

We’ll soak up the sun together

We’ll go for a stroll

Together in the sunset

No longer separated by masks

We’ll see each other’s beautiful faces

In the new year, may the pandemic fade away and the nation enjoy peace and prosperity.

May we both be well.