The annual CCTV Spring Festival gala continued to receive overwhelming attention and affection from Chinese people, according to a survey by CTR MarketResearch Co. Ltd.

Of 2,034 families from 406 counties around China that were interviewed through telephone, 1,872 watched the gala on television Sunday night. The survey lasted three hours, starting half an hour after the gala started at 8 p.m. till midnight.

A weighted average of 95.6 percent of all families watching television were enjoying the CCTV show on the eve of the Spring Festival, according to the survey.

A total of 55.2 percent of the interviewed families thought the show was "very good", and 25.9 percent rated it as "fairly good".

The show featured major events in 2008, including relief efforts after the 8.0-earthquake in Sichuan Province, the Beijing Olympic Games and the successful spacewalk during the Shenzhou 7 mission.

Popular singers, dancers, actors and Chinese crosstalk actors presented more than four hours of performance. It also used a multi-media backdrop and sophisticated staging structure.

(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2009)