The annual programme at China's state-run CCTV for the lunar New Year has attracted scathing criticism for its boring content besides protests from feminist groups over negative portrayal of professional and single women.
The four and half hour mix of entertainment programmes in the once a year show was described as unoriginal, dull, misogynistic and tone-deaf by some members of the public.
The show, which was the main stay of entertainment for Chinese on the New Year night celebrated on February 19, comprised of mix of singing, dancing, magic routines and comedy acts that attracted an estimated 690 million viewers.
It also faced backlash on social media for some of its content, especially sketches that made fun of women, mainlanders with a strong southern accent, and people who are overweight and short.
A topic page "scoffing at Chunwan" - the shorthand name of the show in Putonghua - had drawn more than 9 million views and 26,000 comments on Weibo, akin to Chinese Twitter, Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reported.
"This year's Lunar New Year's Gala is the worst I have seen in my 20 years of life. Even my mum says it was particularly boring," one microblogger said.
Viewers also pointed out that some sketches discriminated against professional women and "ageing single women", southerners and the overweight.
After the show aired on China's state-run CCTV, about 30 feminist activists issued a joint statement, asking the producers to apologise for discriminatory content and also calling for an end to the annual broadcast.
Some viewers also criticised the show for including political statements like the ongoing campaign against corruption.
"It seems to be more a tool to disseminate the central leadership's political agenda rather than an entertainment show," one user wrote online.
Three of the performances touched on President Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign - a topic avoided in past years.
Official media however said the satire on corruption was received well.
A stand-up routine, "It's not mine," performed by young China's Shaanxi Province, depicted a corrupt official who took bribes including a car, a house and also a woman, if a woman can fairly be described as a bribe.
It was labelled the "most sarcastic stand-up comedy in three decades of galas," state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The show was widely praised on the Internet with the only complaint being that it was not funny enough, it said.
A total of 71,748 officials were punished in 2014 for breaking anti-graft rules and several including former National Security Chief, Zhou Yongkang faced anti-graft probes.
