But paper cuts and lanterns are not nearly the end of the colour of Spring Festival. The flamboyant costumes and exquisite make up worn by performers at the Spring Festival Gala can compete with the most extravagant fashion shows and possibly surpass them. Today, we're going to take a look at costumes and make up during preparations for the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala.

The actors and actresses in rehearsal have infused their performer's lounge with the full festive atmosphere. Look at this outfit, the back side is a snow man. The front is a pink dress. These girls are so excited with the floral dresses they are in, that they want to preserve the moment for posterity, in photos.

Inside the make up room, staff prepares dancers who will perform as "fei tian" the beautiful ladies who appear on the Dunhuang grottos. Body Painting is used to finish the design.

Xu Jing, make up staff, said, These body paints help to realize the effect that the characters can fly just like the ones depicted on the grottos. We'll emphasize the parts of their bodies that are most prominent as they move.

It takes around two hours to complete the fairy image of "fei tian". Anyone who hasn't seen the image is naturally drawn to see the girls in actual performance at the CCTV Spring Festival gala.