Humanoid Kung Fu at the Spring Festival
This year’s Spring Festival Gala wasn’t just about celebrating the Lunar New Year — it was also a showcase of China’s rapidly advancing robotics industry. Humanoid robots from Unitree Robotics performed a tightly choreographed kung fu routine, flipping, lunging, and swinging swords and nunchucks just feet from child performers. In a striking “drunken boxing” segment, the robots staggered, fell backward, and recovered seamlessly, demonstrating remarkable balance and coordination.
Compared with last year’s gala, where Unitree robots performed a simple folk dance, this year’s display highlighted a significant leap in technical skill. The performances were broadcast to millions, with other Chinese robotics firms, including MagicLab, Galbot, and Noetix, contributing segments throughout the evening.
Public Reactions and Global Attention
Clips from the gala quickly circulated online, generating awe and surprise. On social media platform RedNote, users highlighted the dramatic improvement: “Now, they’re doing kung fu, they’re doing flips, they’re doing synchronized dancing,” wrote one, adding, “Everybody’s shocked.” Another shared friends’ reactions: “Three Americans were scared by the Spring Festival robot… It’s way more impressive than last year. It’s crazy.” The performance not only entertained but also underscored China’s rapid progress in robotics technology to the global audience.
China’s Ambitious Robotics Push
Unitree CEO Wang Xingxing revealed that the company expects to ship up to 20,000 humanoid robots this year, up from 5,500 in 2025. Chinese firms like Ant Group and XPeng are also developing humanoids, with XPeng’s Iron and Ant’s R1 drawing comparisons to Tesla’s Optimus.
China’s universities are investing in talent for this field, introducing new programs in “embodied intelligence,” which combines AI with robotics. The rapid expansion hasn’t been without hiccups: XPeng’s Iron fell during its debut, and a Unitree robot accidentally kicked an engineer during testing. Yet despite these setbacks, the gala performance highlighted how far China’s humanoid robotics have come in a short time.
