AI-powered products shine during festival

The just-concluded eight-day Chinese Spring Festival holidays witnessed a wide range of artificial intelligence (AI) products and services, from AI-powered temple fairs to robot performances. The stunning shows underscored both the rapid development and widespread application of AI in China, a Chinese expert said on Tuesday.

During the holidays, the "AI Temple Fair" in Beijing's Haidian district attracted large crowds. The event featured over 100 AI-powered scenarios, allowing visitors to enjoy performances such as a robot band playing music, robots performing Peking Opera, and interactive activities like bartending and dessert-making by robots, China Media Group (CMG) reported on Tuesday.

At the Changdian Temple Fair in Beijing, visitors were able to experience both traditional performances and innovative technology, including humanoid robots extending New Year greetings. Similarly, in Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang Province, children could interact with robots through handshakes, while festive robot performances brought a high-tech touch to the Spring Festival celebrations.

Beyond in-person events, online platforms also integrated AI with holiday elements. For example, China's tech company Tencent introduced AI-powered festive experiences in its Yuanbao AI assistant app, featuring AI-generated New Year greeting videos and interactive characters like the God of Wealth.

"This year's Spring Festival saw a surge in domestic technological innovations, particularly in AI and robotics, bringing new vitality and charm to traditional festive activities," Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

This new trend highlights the fact that China's technological advancements are accelerating at an unprecedented pace and becoming an integral part of daily life, enhancing the public's experience with new technologies, Wang said.

At the CMG's 2025 Spring Festival Gala, the nation's latest applications of cutting-edge technologies were also showcased.

In a performance directed by renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou, 16 robots produced by Chinese robotics company Unitree, dressed in northeastern Chinese style floral padded jackets, performed together with dancers from China's Xinjiang Art Institute. The humanoid robots could not only smoothly twist their waists and mimic human leg-kicking movements, but also spin handkerchiefs, displaying extremely dexterous actions.

Unitree told the Global Times that the robots use AI-driven full-body motion control technology, capable of achieving a maximum joint torque of 360 Newton-meter.

At two of the gala's sub-venues in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu Province, Shenzhen-based DAMODA Intelligent Control Technology Co brought large-scale drone performances, illuminating the sky with complex and precise light shows.

These innovations showcased China's strength and creativity in AI and robotics and served as a contributor of the country's expertise and solutions to the global AI and robotics industries, Wang said.

"With strong government support through targeted policies and initiatives, the industry is well-positioned for continued growth. China's vast market demand and deep talent pool will also provide a strong foundation and sustained momentum for future advancements in the field," Wang said.