The 2021 edition of the Spring Festival Gala, an annual celebration broadcast by China Central Television on Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve, has not only sent festive vibes across the globe, but also conveyed good wishes for the new year, overseas Chinese have said.

Abbreviated in Chinese as Chunwan, the China Media Group production is one of the most-watched TV events in the country and also livestreamed abroad. The 2021 edition kicked off in Beijing at 8 p.m. (1200 GMT) Thursday and included a diversity of programs such as singing, dancing, acrobatics and traditional Chinese operas.

Xiaopei He Gelb, head of the Huaxing Arts Group based in San Francisco, said the gala "broke the limitation of time and space" with advanced techniques of sound, light, electricity and animation.

Impressed by the cultural event, Li Hongwei, honorary chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification in Chicago, recalled that his hometown located in Hubei's Enshi has been lifted out of poverty with the joint efforts of the country and the people.

"This year the stage was gorgeous and colorful, and the show was wonderful," said Jin Linze, executive chairman of the Association of Chinese Residing in France.

"It showed a joyful union and looked forward into the new year. The visual experience was good and the programs reflected our grassroots life. It was down to earth with a common touch," Jin said.

A stone Buddha head, stolen from one of the statues in north China's Tianlongshan Grottoes almost a century ago and recently retrieved, appeared on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala.

"It shows that we attach great importance to inheriting and protecting the traditional culture of the Chinese nation," said Yuan Mingjun, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Los Andes in Colombia.

Liu Yan, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, said this year's Spring Festival Gala was warm, cheerful and touching, which made people feel China's openness to the world and confidence in creating a bright future.