As the curtain rose on the 2009 Spring Festival Gala, the opening dance and song "Grand Celebration of China" began. The dancers from the Zhuhai Hansheng Art Troupe, with their skilled movements, showcased their beautiful dance to over a billion viewers across China and the global Chinese community. These young performers added a significant touch to the already spectacular Spring Festival Gala.

　　Two of the ten troupes performing in Beijing were from Zhuhai.

　　During a dance review, Lang Kun, the Spring Festival Gala's director, introduced Hansheng to the participating teams, saying: "This is an excellent dance troupe from Guangdong, the Hansheng Art Troupe." Ten troupes participated in the Spring Festival Gala's dance and song rehearsals this year, with two from Zhuhai. Hansheng Art Troupe, having performed in the previous year's Gala, returned for a second time, participating in four dance and song programs: "Grand Celebration of China," "Forest Dance Party," "Harmony Between Heaven and Earth," and "Ode to the Motherland."
　　"Every day is like a battle; by the end of the day, you don't even get a chance to sit down...It's like a competition, every troupe trying to outdo each other..." The team member, Tao Haixiao, said this which made everyone laugh. When the reporter met with these young men and women who had left their mark on the Spring Festival Gala stage, they were holding a meeting to share their experiences.

　　Acclimatization Issues, Colds, and Nosebleeds

　　Upon receiving the notice to go to Beijing, the new performers were excited, but the veteran members knew that the intense training had just begun. Tao Haixiao, having participated twice before, was keenly aware. The daily schedule for the performers was a simple routine: eat, rehearse, and sleep.
　　"I coughed my way through over a month in Beijing." Tao Haixiao spent 45 days in Beijing and was ill for 45 days.
　　Hansheng was the first performing troupe to arrive in Beijing, immediately beginning intense rehearsals. 17-year-old Liu Yinghui sprained her ankle during practice, leaving it severely swollen, but she still persevered through the pain. Many team members experienced acclimatization issues, with colds and coughs, some even experiencing nosebleeds. Due to limited space, their rehearsal hall was an abandoned taekwondo gym with only a small pipe supplying heat. "It felt like the cold was rising from the soles of my feet; we had to keep moving our legs, otherwise it was unbearable. The temperature was as low as minus 14 degrees Celsius." As the Spring Festival Gala entered its most intense rehearsal period, many Hansheng performers carried tissues in their pockets, some even resorted to plugging their nostrils.

　　Three of Seven Acts Cut

　　"Acts being cut from the Spring Festival Gala is very common; even Huang Xiaoming's singing was cut." 21-year-old Tao Haixiao was used to the cutthroat elimination process of the Spring Festival Gala. "From start to finish, we rehearsed seven acts; only four made it to the final performance. The most disappointing was "Smile Diary"; many young performers couldn't help but cry."
　　"Smile Diary" was the first act Hansheng began rehearsing; it tells the touching story of Olympic volunteers, moving the audience to tears during rehearsals. However, the act was cut during the final review, just 10 days before the live broadcast. The reason for its removal was that it shared the same Olympic theme as the sketch "Beijing Welcomes You," both featuring volunteers, which violated the Spring Festival Gala's "one theme, one act" rule. "Although it's painful, for the perfect presentation of the entire gala, everything must be subject to the director's arrangement," said Pang Mingyu, director of the Hansheng Art Troupe.
　　Other dances, such as "Sima Guang Breaks the Jar" and the accompanying dance for Han Xue's song "Journey," each involved much sweat and effort from the performers. The director team, with careful consideration, regretfully had to remove them, preventing these acts from being seen by the audience. Captain Song Ya was mentally prepared. "Seven acts underwent countless reviews; each time we performed, we were anxious, expecting to be cut. Some new performers couldn't handle it and cried sadly."

　　Performers Fear Being Called Out During Rehearsals

　　The performers feared being called out by the director during rehearsals. Performers in their respective uniforms; if any performer made a slight mistake or was out of sync, the director would publicly call out the team name, and they would have to start again. No one wanted to be the "bad apple," so no one dared to slack off. After rehearsals, which often ended past 10 pm, the veteran performers would help the new performers refine their movements in the hotel hallway, striving for perfection, to ensure the "entire team moves as one." At 12 am every day, after the Spring Festival Gala director team's meeting, the troupe leader would receive the next day's rehearsal schedule.
　　The choreography and movements were constantly changing. "The director creates on the spot, putting immense pressure on the performers to adapt to the changing movements, sometimes even requiring major changes, forcing them to forget the familiar and start anew." Director Pang said, "The director only cares about the performance outcome, not the process."

　　Behind the Scenes

　　Watching the Big Stars After the Show

　　After the performance, the young actors crowded the corridors to watch the big stars. Uncle Benshan looked tired, coughing during the rehearsal of "Not Bad Money." But he was very professional; he was even seen receiving an IV drip through the crack in his dressing room door. Song Zuying was present for all seven rehearsals, very gentle, and without any star airs. The Hong Kong and Taiwan stars were very serious; after singing once, Eason Chan asked the director if they could rehearse again. Song Ya reported to the reporter.
　　An actor also revealed an inside story: "Originally, Zhao Benshan had an idea to have Jackie Chan play the Scottish restaurant owner, but for some reason, it didn't work out."
　　Tao Haixiao's most unforgettable moment was when she was chosen as a stand-in for Joey Yung during the Spring Festival Gala rehearsal, experiencing the feeling of being a singer. Since joining the Hansheng Art Troupe in 2003, she has spent New Year's Eve on stage with the audience and other performers. She frankly stated: "Being on stage with so many people, showcasing our best side, is very happy."
　　15-year-old Yang Zhou Xue'er was the youngest member of the troupe. She came directly from school to Beijing, and her first task was to perform in the Spring Festival Gala. She was so excited she couldn't sleep. "Performing on the CCTV building stage for the first time, my legs were weak. There were many devices and mechanisms on stage, and I was afraid of falling from the eight-meter-high stage."