Wei Caiqi, a 15-year-old dancer, spun for four hours during China Central Television's annual Spring Festival Gala, which sparked controversy.

Wei Caiqi, the 15-year-old niece of Chinese dancing star Yang Liping, twirled nonstop for four hours during China Central Television's annual Spring Festival Gala, which was aired on Jan 30.

Her hours of spinning not only stunned the more than 700 million viewers, but also stirred public controversy.

According to CCTV's microblog, Wei performed as the "time girl" at the gala. Standing for the passing of time and the changing of seasons, Wei twirled on a special stage, accelerating as midnight approached.

Some have said that twirling for four hours was cruel for the dancer and some call such a performance "ridiculous and pointless".

"She has trained for the performance and when she spins, she has some techniques, such as staring at the ceiling and controlling her speed," neurobiologist Geng Zhi-qing from Beijing Capital University was quoted as saying in an interview with local media.

Wei later responded that although some people doubted her performances she saw them as a kind of "spiritual cultivation", which was similar to meditation.

She also said that twirling nonstop for hours was a gift she has had since she was small. "It was my aunt who discovered my talent because she noticed that I did not get dizzy after twirling when I was little," Wei said.

She practiced several times after she was booked to perform at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala.

"I felt excited and very well after twirling for four hours," said Wei. "My aunt played lots of music and I also speeded up or slowed down to the rhythm."