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Humanoid robots are emerging as an unlikely source of Lunar New Year entertainment in China, as robotics companies use festive performances to showcase their technology to the public, investors and policymakers.
Shanghai-based start-up Agibot recently streamed a nearly hour-long online variety show featuring robots dancing, pulling off acrobatics, performing magic tricks, lip-syncing songs and acting in comedy skits. Additional humanoids appeared in the audience, waving along as spectators watched. Around 1.4 million viewers tuned in on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.
Agibot billed the event as the world’s first robot-powered gala, staging it a week before China Central Television’s annual Spring Festival broadcast — a hugely popular programme that has increasingly become a platform for robot makers to demonstrate their progress.
At last year’s CCTV gala, 16 full-sized humanoid robots developed by Unitree performed alongside human dancers, drawing widespread attention. Soon after, Unitree’s founder attended a symposium led by President Xi Jinping, as the Hangzhou-based company began preparations for a possible stock market listing.
Four humanoid robotics firms — Unitree, Galbot, Noetix and MagicLab — are expected to feature in this year’s CCTV gala, according to the broadcaster and the companies involved.
Agibot’s own gala used more than 200 robots and was broadcast across multiple platforms, including RedNote, Sina Weibo, Douyin and TikTok, as well as Chinese-language TV channels HTTV and iCiTi TV.
Commenting on the trend, photographer and writer Ma Hongyun said the moment robots begin to grasp cultural humour, closer human-robot interaction may arrive sooner than expected.
Agibot says its humanoid machines are designed for use in education, entertainment and industrial settings, and the company is reportedly planning an initial public offering in Hong Kong. State media has suggested the firm skipped the CCTV gala this year to prioritise spending on research and development.
Chinese robotics companies have also drawn attention abroad. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said Chinese firms represent his main competition in humanoid robotics, noting that promotional showcases have become a common way to highlight advances — including Tesla’s own demonstrations of its Optimus robot.
