Recently, a new programme, "Spring Festival Gala Experience Officer", has become a hit on social media, offering a rare glimpse into the gala's behind-the-scenes world. This pioneering show is directed by Runeng Lyu, a post-90s director from Zhejiang and an alum of the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), and two other alums Chunqin Xie and Yunqi Wang. The programme features a diverse group of "experience officers"—athletes, journalists, internet celebrities, and more—who explore the front and backstage areas to reveal how this grand event is meticulously organised.
In November 2024, Runeng and his team were invited to Beijing by the Spring Festival Gala Director Team. They learned that the vision for the programme was to invite the audience to interact closely with the gala's production team, experience the daily routines of various roles, and feel the rigour, passion, and excitement that go into creating the gala.
With just two months to go, the team faced the daunting task of completing the programme's planning, filming, and post-production while balancing popularity and content quality and maintaining strict secrecy. Most of the filming had to take place within the confined space of the gala's rehearsal backstage. To capture genuine and touching moments, Runeng's team worked around the clock, exploring each guest's unique characteristics and condensing hours of footage into five-minute highlights. Their hard work paid off as the programme received heartfelt remarks from viewers.
Runeng's achievements extend beyond this project. He and his team have previously worked on several well-known shows for CCTV, Tencent, and others. "My alma mater, UNNC, played a pivotal role in my career," he said.
In 2011, Runeng chose UNNC after narrowly missing out on C9 universities. At UNNC, with the support of scholarships, project funding, and platform resources, he discovered his passion for directing and filmmaking. "The university encouraged me to explore. For example, I led the university's exchange season microfilm project, handling everything from forming the team to the final screening. Every step of the way, I gained full support," he said. "UNNC's motto, 'Ignite the fire within students', is backed by real support and resources to help us create and develop our abilities."
At UNNC, Runeng met like-minded friends who later became his business partners. "Three out of the nine members of our Spring Festival Gala team are UNNC alums," he said. After graduation, he remained positive despite challenges, eventually establishing his own entertainment companies, receiving Yongjiang Talent accreditation and becoming deeply rooted in the industry. Now, Runeng also serves as an alum mentor at UNNC, hoping to provide more opportunities for younger students to participate in top-tier projects in China.
Published on 11 February 2025