The 2027 Online Spring Festival Gala of Confucius Institutes has officially launched! We're calling on Confucius Institutes (CIs) and Confucius Classrooms(CCs)  across the globe to hit "record," join us in the cloud, and ring in the Year of the Goat together.

Per the Shuowen Jiezi ("Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters"), "the goat （羊） signifies auspiciousness （祥）." As we head into the Lunar Year of the Goat in 2027, this year's gala is themed "Auspiciousness," drawing on the warm wish "Auspicious Goat across ten thousand miles, ten thousand homes sharing one spring." We're now accepting standout performances and New Year greeting videos from CIs and CCs worldwide.

 

01  Performance Themes

Pick any one (or more) of the nine themes below - or pitch your own. Song and dance, spoken-word, drama, creative bits - all welcome. Each theme ships with a few creative prompts to get your wheels turning.

Theme 1  |  The "Perfect Pronunciation" Cloud Stage

We're inviting teachers and students from CIs everywhere to perform the song-and-dance number "Perfect Pronunciation" together.

Click Read More at the end of the article to download sample audio, backing tracks and dance videos.

Quick tips:

·         Film against a plain white or solid-colored wall (a green screen is ideal). Keep the background clutter-free and don't shoot into a window.

·         Skip pure white or pure green outfits (you'll blend into the backdrop). Red or your own country's festive garb works great.

·         Each CI records one full track (or just the chorus) on its own. No editing, filters, or subtitles needed on your end.

Theme 2  |  Flavors of CNY: My Spring Festival at the CI (Vlog)

Vlog the run-up and the vibe of the Spring Festival. Bonus: these entries are also eligible for the hashtag challenge on Douyin and RED!

Creative prompts:

·         The full countdown: shopping, decorating, writing chunlian (spring couplets), wrapping jiaozi (dumplings), the New Year's Eve reunion dinner, and paying New Year visits - cut into one vlog.

·         One reunion dish: cook a classic CNY dish start-to-finish, narrating as you go.

·         CNY decor: hang red lanterns, put up window paper-cuts (chuanghua), and spruce up the classroom with your classmates. Time-lapse is very welcome.

·         CNY fits: hanfu (traditional Han Chinese dress), tangzhuang (traditional Chinese jacket), or red-on-red - or mix in your country's traditional wear for an "East meets West" look.

·         Nine-grid CNY: snap 9 festive moments (a pair of chunlian, a plate of jiaozi, a family photo...). Perfect for REDnote image posts.

Must-have shots (at minimum):

·         1 process shot (cooking / writing / wrapping).

·         1 payoff shot of the finished result.

·         1 close-up of a smile. Landscape, well-lit.

Theme 3  |  Skit: My CNY Story

A 1–6 min short skit around a personal CNY story.

Creative prompts:

·         "First time" series: writing chunlian for the first time, folding jiaozi for the first time, paying New Year visits to a Chinese friend for the first time, watching the Spring Festival Gala (Chunwan) for the first time, and sending/receiving WeChat hongbao (red envelopes) for the first time.

·         "Culture clash" series: Is the upside-down 福 character (meaning "good fortune") a mistake? Do you (or don't you) accept the hongbao?

·         "Teaching my family" series: a CI student goes home and teaches mom and dad a few lucky phrases (jixianghua) - or the whole family how to fold jiaozi.

·         "Cross-border family" series: when CNY collides with your own New Year - how do you blend both?

·         "CI classroom" series: sweet/funny moments from teaching CNY culture in class.

·         "Far from home" series: a Chinese teacher or international student abroad gets treated to a "reverse celebration" by their students during the holidays.

Theme 4  |  Song: One Song, Many Voices

Solo, chorus, instrumental, original, cover - all fair game. Multilingual, cross-border, cross-genre mashups especially encouraged.

Creative prompts:

·         East meets West: perform in your country's festive attire, or back yourself on a traditional instrument.

·         Multilingual relay: one CNY song, handed off across 2+ languages.

·         Instrumental mashup: Chinese repertoire on your traditional instruments - e.g., a djembe on "Xi Yangyang" ("Happy and Auspicious"), an accordion on "Bu Bu Gao" ("Stepping Higher").

·         Teacher-student duet: teacher in Chinese, students in their native tongue - same melody, two languages.

·         Original track: original CNY songs written for the 2027 Year of the Goat are very welcome.

·         A cappella: an all-vocal CNY medley.

Quick tips:

·         1-2 lines per person, rotating through languages, closing on a Chinese chorus sung together.

·         Feel free to weave in your own country's New Year greeting gestures as you sing.

·         Include Chinese and foreign lyrics with translation with your submission.

Theme 5  |  Dance: East Meets West on the Dance Floor

Chinese dance, your own folk dance, or a cross-genre fusion—"1+1" mashups are our favorite.

Creative prompts:

·         Cross-genre fusion: ballet with water sleeves (shui xiu of classical Chinese dance), samba with classical Chinese dance, Peking opera with street dance, African dance with Chinese waist drum (yaogu)... you name it.

·         Two countries, one dance: the first half is your folk dance, a single turn - then switch to Chinese dance.

·         Hand-gesture dance: cover or create your own "Year of the Goat" greeting hand dance.

·         Landmark takeover: dance a Chinese number in front of several local landmarks - "CNY at World Landmarks," check it off.

Quick tips:

Full body in frame, contrasting outfits, tight to the beat - that's how the footage pops.

Theme 6  |  Language Fun: The Great Chinese Challenge

Funny, clever, or heartfelt content built around Chinese characters. Go silly, or turn a character into a mini-story - both work.

Creative prompts:

·         "Yang" Feihualing (Flying Flower poetry game): take turns reciting poems, idioms, or auspicious phrases built on the 羊 radical (e.g., 羊， 祥， 美， 善）.

·         "One 羊， how many characters?" - a mini deep-dive showing how the radical 羊 grows into 美 ("beautiful"), 善 ("kindness"), 祥 ("auspiciousness"), 群 ("crowd"), etc.

·         Tongue-twister PK: go head-to-head on Chinese twisters. Corpsing (breaking into laughter) is part of the fun.

·         Dialect challenge: learn one line in a Chinese dialect, with Chinese teachers/classmates as judges.

·         "Level-10 Chinese" quiz: cook up a few absurd situational questions (e.g., "Wait for the red light or the green light?" "What does 'yisi yisi' actually mean?").

·         False friends: pit Chinese vs. your language on words that "sound alike, mean nothing alike."

Theme 7  |  Visuals: The CNY in My Head

AI art, crafts, animation, brush calligraphy, sand painting, shadow puppetry (piyingxi) - any visual medium is fair game. Top picks may become the key visual backdrop for the virtual stage!

Creative prompts:

·         AI art: render "CNY in my head" - e.g., "Spring Festival in the Sahara," "Red lanterns under the aurora," "My hometown's animals celebrate the Goat Year." Sky's the limit; up to 1–3 pieces per person.

·         Creative lettering: give 羊 or 春 a creative spin.

·         Stop-motion: build a Chinese character out of paper-cuts (jian zhi), clay, LEGO, or food, then shoot it frame by frame.

·         Calligraphy and painting: brush calligraphy (ma obi shuf a), guohua (traditional Chinese painting), or a "fusion" New Year print (nian hua) blending with your own painting style.

Quick tips:

Image entries: send the HD original (no less than 2 MB; 300 dpi preferred). AI entries: add a one-line artist's note and name the tool you used.

Theme 8  |  Documentary Short: My Story with Chinese

A 3–5 min verite piece - one person, one moment, one relationship. No acting, no posing; the real stuff hits hardest. Open with "Because of Chinese, I..." and let that line anchor your story.

"Because of Chinese, I..." prompt bank (or pick your own):

·         ...landed my job - a specific interview or promotion story.

·         ...met my best friend / life partner.

·         ...set foot in China for the first time - your most unforgettable moment.

·         ...saw a whole other way of life.

Tip: shoot tons of close-up details (hands, eyes, old objects), capture real conversations, and go light on the "talking-head report." Your own voiceover over the footage works great.

Shooting specs:

·         Waist-up close-up, talking to the camera like you're chatting with a friend. Fluency is not required; mixing Chinese and your native tongue is totally fine.

·         Also shoot 3–5 lifestyle B-rolls (walking, turning pages, working, chatting) for the post.

·         Submissions must include Chinese and foreign-language subtitles.

Theme 9  |  One Heart, One New Year

(1) Drop your blessing

CI teachers and students: one New Year blessing in Chinese, please.

·         Open with the standard line: "I'm in [country/city], and I wish everyone..." - finish it however you like.

·         Pair it with a greeting gesture: gongshou (fist-and-palm salute), heshi li (palms pressed together), a finger heart, or hold up a chunlian / your country's CNY prop.

·         More the merrier - bring your crew.

·         Feel free to teach local friends and family the line; multi-person group greetings get priority.

(2) Bloopers = bonus content

Rehearsal fails, laugh-out-louds, NGs, behind-the-scenes moments. Name the clip "Bloopers + CI Name" - we'll cut a funny compilation for short-video platforms. 15-60 sec, phone-shot is fine.

 

02  Submission Specs

(1) Technical basics

·         Landscape, 16:9 widescreen.

·         Keep resolution consistent across a single video.

·         MP4 only.

·         Clear picture, clean audio; lavalier mics preferred.

·         Stable, well-lit footage; no backlight, shakiness, or overexposure.

·         Foreign-language content needs foreign subs plus matching Chinese subs. Or send us an accurate transcript, and we'll burn in the subs for you.

·         No corner bugs, logos, platform watermarks, or sticker effects.

(2) Shooting tips

·         Phone Use the rear camera, landscape.

·         Daytime Shoot by a window, face the window—never your back to it.

·         Stabilize on a tripod (or a stack of books); lens at eye level.

·         Grab plenty of B-roll: hands on chunlian, jiaozi going into the pot, lanterns going up, close-up smiles.

 

How to Submit and Timeline

·         Submitting Organization: CIs / CCs as the submitting unit. Multiple works welcome.

·         File name: "Theme + Video work title + CI (CC) Name."

·         Online Submission Portal: cigalasubmit2027.ci.cn, Sign in to the Confucius Institute Digital Resource Management System

·         Deadline: Now through Dec 15, 2026.

Fine Print

·         All content must follow the publishing rules of the relevant platforms and stay positive.

·         Works must be original; no 3rd-party copyright, portrait, or music rights issues.

·         Copyright: Participation in the event implies granting the organizer the copyright of the work. The author retains the right of attribution, and no additional remuneration will be provided.

·         The Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF) reserves the right of final interpretation.

Contact Us : pr@ci.cn (submission portal and program questions)

WeChat: 2991883227 (shooting tech and creative coaching—script polish, shoot guidance, sample reels, etc.)

 

Heads-Up

We're also running hashtag challenges on Douyin and RED. CIs (CCs)  and their Chinese/foreign partner institutions already on those platforms are welcome to join the Online Spring Festival Gala of Confucius Institutes challenge.

 

In 2027, let's follow A-Xiang the goat and carry CNY culture to every corner of the world. Send us your work—Auspicious Goat, ten thousand miles; ten thousand homes, one spring!