Overseasidol.com — Top Chinese actress Dilraba Dilmurat captivated audiences nationwide with her breathtaking performance at the 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, one of the most-watched television events of the Lunar New Year.
Her underwater-inspired dance quickly became one of the most talked-about highlights of this Year of the Horse celebration.
Performing the dance piece titled “Take the lead” at the Yibin sub-venue in Sichuan, Dilraba embodied the role of a “guardian of the Yangtze River’s ecology”.
Dressed in a flowing gradient aqua-blue gown adorned with shimmering fish-scale details, she resembled a graceful mermaid gliding through water.
Her ethereal look earned her online nicknames such as “Mermaid Princess” and “Yangtze River Dolphin Fairy”.
The stage design blended advanced water curtain effects with traditional Chinese cultural elements, including Sichuan opera face-changing artistry and visuals inspired by Yibin’s famous bamboo forests.
Through elegant choreography featuring aerial spins, underwater glances, and synchronized movements symbolizing schools of fish, the performance conveyed a powerful message about harmony between humanity and nature.
One of the most touching moments came when citizens on both sides of the stage raised small lights that gradually formed a galaxy-like river of stars.
This symbolic scene highlighted the achievements of Yibin’s decade-long Yangtze River conservation efforts, reinforcing the environmental theme of the performance.
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