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Xinhua) 21:01, September 17, 2013
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Comments twitter facebook Sina Microblog reddit China Central Television (CCTV) has cut heavily its cast for the annual Mid-AutumnFestival gala, while major local TV stations have canceled shows.
State TV will also abandon fireworks during this year's festival that will fall on Sept. 19,according to a Tuesday statement from the broadcaster.
The 22-year-old gala will move to a stadium in the city of Meizhou, south China'sGuangdong Province, saving costs by streamlining theatrical designs and employingordinary performers to replace pop stars, according to the statement.
Jiangsu TV, Zhejiang TV and Hunan TV announced earlier that they will not have a gala forthe festival, responding to the central authorities' frugality order.
Shows used to attract high viewing figures with extravagant stage designs and a luxuriantcast, comprising of popular stars in the country.
The publicity department of the Communist Party of China (CPC), along with otherdepartments, has repeatedly ordered broadcasters to restrict gala expenses andarrangements. It is an extension of the Party's move to eliminate the four "evil winds" offormalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance.
Many people have applauded the cost-cutting exercise while some are worried that thegalas may not be worth watching.
"It will spur the TV producers to focus more on the forms and content of TV programsrather than only depend on big stars to attract the audience, which is conducive to thesustainable, healthy development of the TV industry," said Qiu Hongwei from the ZhejiangTV program center.
Efforts to curb extravagance in galas have impacted the performing arts market.
Earnings and the number of performances of some artistic troupes and companies,theatrical design companies in particular, dropped sharply, Culture Minister Cai Wu saidlast week, citing the Report on China's Performing Market 2013.
（Editor：YanMeng、Gao Yinan）
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