A poetry-themed Spring Festival gala will be held on Jan. 24, 2019 at the main venue of the Beijing Theater, said the organizer, the Chinese Association of Quyuan (CAQ), on Monday.

This year's event, the fifth of its kind, will also hit stages at sub-venues in nearly 40 cities worldwide, including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xi'an, New York, Tokyo and London.

Director of the CAQ Fang Ming said the audience would enjoy recitals of poems by well-known ancient Chinese poets Qu Yuan and Li Bai, as well as more recent ones on China's reform and opening-up drive and the spirit of the nation.

Performance in Shanghai sub-venue has started, featuring bilingual poetry recitals of Li Bai and Shakespeare.

Chinese Spring Festival represents the beginning of the Chinese Lunar Year, and falls on Feb. 5 this year.