China’s Lunar New Year celebrations featured a groundbreaking technological spectacle as humanoid robots performed complex kung fu and breakdancing routines during the annual Spring Festival Gala. The demonstration highlighted China’s rapid advancement in robotics technology, with two dozen robots engineered by Unitree executing synchronized martial arts maneuvers including precision punches, high kicks, backflips, and obstacle vaults.
The robotic performers exhibited remarkable capabilities, with some utilizing traditional nunchucks and achieving running speeds up to nine miles per hour. Chinese officials characterized the display as a testament to ‘precision, power, and perfect balance’ in robotic movement.
The Spring Festival Gala, among China’s most-watched television events, served as the platform for this technological showcase. Unitree, having sold approximately 5,500 robots in the previous year, anticipates significant production expansion with plans to manufacture between 10,000 and 20,000 units in 2026. The company is concurrently preparing for a Shanghai stock market listing with an estimated valuation of $7 billion.
Industry reports indicate China dominated global humanoid robot production in the previous year, accounting for 90% of worldwide output. While U.S. companies including Tesla are developing comparable technologies, their production scale remains substantially smaller than China’s current capabilities.