The scene opened with a performance by African dancers and an appearance by a group of black women who were supposedly staff on the new Chinese-built Kenyan fast train - but it was the following mini-play that caused consternation online.

After the performers departed the stage, the host - standing in front of an African veldt backdrop - was approached by his friend, played by a young black woman, who asked him to help her out with a problem by following her lead. 

He agreed, and was introduced to her mother - who, some web users suggested, was played by an Asian woman wearing blackface, with what appeared to be a comically large fake bottom and a basket of fruit on her head. She was accompanied by a monkey, apparently played by a black performer.

The host then discovered that he was supposed to be playing the part of the young black woman's boyfriend, so that she could get out of a blind date - only for the host's Chinese bride to arrive on the scene.

After much farcical wordplay, the mother - in perfect, unaccented Chinese - says she can't be angry because China has done so much for Africa, then shouts: "I love Chinese people! I love China!"

While the sketch was likely not intended to be mean-spirited, the response from some was less than positive, with the depiction of the mother character and the stereotypical imagery coming in for criticism.

 

Twitter user KT Parthepan wrote: "Ugh the sketch on Africa during the @CCTV Spring Festival Gala (possibly the most watched show in the world) was cringeworthy at best, completely racist at worst.

"It's Africa, so bring out tribal dancers & animals? And was that a Chinese woman in blackface with a fake posterior?"

Ben Armstrong responded: "It looked a lot like blackface to me..."

Another Twitter user, Jeremy Webb, responded: "More Geopolitics on glorious display at this year's CCTV #CNY Gala. This love story resolved as the enlarged-ass African mama proclaims her love for China and the building of railways."

"Really disgusting," replied Twitter user Maroon.

The sketch also received a strong response on Reddit, with user "iforgotmyidagain" writing "Not sure which one is more disgusting, the blackface itself, or the fact that the propaganda machine thought it was fine."

User TheDark1 wrote: "There's gonna be a hella funny backlash to this tasteless propaganda. I cannot believe that sketch got greenlit. Most cringeworthy thing I've seen in months, trump included."

"Imagine if the US state of the union event had a white guy with yellow face, a rice farmer's hat, buck teeth, and speaking in stereotypical Chinese accent," user probablydurnk wrote. "Think the Chinese internet would leave that one alone?"

But some defended the show; 1989slover wrote that it was "a comedy praising the relationship between China and Africa, so there's not any intent of racism. And yes the way they express the idea is a bit wrong, but I think that's mainly because people don't really know a lot about racism in China because the race here is not so diverse.

"China has always been a friend with African country so there's no reason for us to ruin the relationship by putting a discriminational show in the gala, but I do hope there would be a official explanation for this whole thing."

Blackface - that is, non-black performers wearing facepaint to portray black characters - is a touchy subject in much of the West. That's particularly true the United States, where minstrelsy shows featuring white performers using blackface to mock black people emerged in the 19th century and remained on television until as recently as the 1970s.