China’s capital came alive during the 2026 Spring Festival Gala, where the audience was treated to a thrilling martial arts spectacle. Humans and robots shared the stage and combined traditional Kung Fu skills with technological precision to create an impressive show.
The show included meticulously choreographed routines, daring stunts such as three metre aerial flips and spins, as well as synchronised movements to captivate the audience, all highlighted through lightning effects and visual backdrops to enhance the atmosphere.
This year’s performance shows a considerable improvement in robotic performance from other years’ Galas, with more daring and fast-paced robotic movements, sword routines, as well as more human-robot interaction. Last year, the robot show merely included simple dancing moves and motion routines, such as twirling handkerchiefs and moving in basic formations.
A few weeks ago at the World Economic Forum, tech billionaire Elon Musk shared his predictions that AI will outsmart any single human by the end of 2026 and exceed humanity’s combined intelligence within five years. NVIDIA Cosmos, a prominent construction company of robots and physical AI models released brand-new robot models, which sparks even more concerns about technological progression. Jensen Huang, the founder and CEO of NVIDIA Cosmos, claims that “breakthroughs in physical AI – models that understand the real world, reason and plan actions – are unlocking entirely new applications”.
This technological leap sparked debate online with some praising it as a milestone in innovation, while others expressed unease about how lifelike and agile the machines have become. Instagram comments range from “impressed and worried and scared”, to “cool, until they start chasing us”, showcasing the overall human anxiety surrounding technological advance.
The Spring Festival Gala remains one of the most meaningful traditions for the Chinese population, bringing families together in a shared celebration on Lunar New Year’s Eve and opening celebrations on the eve of the Chinese New Year. The show is watched not only across China but also by audiences in more than 200 countries and regions across the world, which makes it a truly global celebration.
