She is a student at the famous Henan Shaolin Martial Arts School. In recent years, their gravity-defying brand of kung fu has become a staple of the annual televised Lunar New Year Gala.
“Last year I watched my classmates perform on stage and I felt nervous for them. Now it is my turn,” says Hu.
She has a right to be nervous.
The gala, a variety show broadcast on state television since 1983, is a cultural phenomenon and a key propaganda tool of the Chinese Communist Party.
It’s also a ratings juggernaut.
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But watching the program is still a force of habit for many Chinese.
Xu Baoyu, a college senior at the University of Iowa, says she used to watch the show because it was “just there.”
On Wednesday, she says she will be watching the gala on YouTube from her off campus apartment in Iowa City.
“The Spring Festival just doesn’t feel complete without the gala,” she told CNN by phone. “Although I do like to mock the show while my mom is watching in China.”
CNN’s Serena Dong and Shen Lu contributed to this report.
