Humanoid robots took the stage and captivated the world performing dances and kung fu during a Lunar New Year show in China. NBC News' Janis Mackey Frayer reports on the robot stars and how some are afraid of the advancements they are seeing.

For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day, click here: https://www.nbcnews.com

» Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC
» Subscribe to Here's the Scoop podcast: https://www.nbcnews.com/heres-the-scoop-daily-podcast

Every day, NBC News helps people understand what’s happening and why it matters — through fact-based reporting, meaningful conversations, and powerful stories. From its leading news broadcasts — TODAY, NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press, and Dateline — to NBC News NOW, the 24/7 streaming news channel, plus chart-topping podcasts, the NBC News app, and NBCNews.com, NBC News keeps audiences informed and connected to the stories shaping our world.

Connect with NBC News Online!
NBC News App: https://apps.nbcnews.com/mobile
Breaking News Alerts: https://link.nbcnews.com/join/....5cj/breaking-news-si
Visit NBCNews.Com: http://nbcnews.to/ReadNBC
Find NBC News on Facebook: http://nbcnews.to/LikeNBC
Follow NBC News on Twitter: http://nbcnews.to/FollowNBC
Follow NBC News on Instagram: http://nbcnews.to/InstaNBC

#china #robot #lunarnewyear

Dai Calendar 1387 New Year Festival Parade
JingHong, XiShuangBanNa, YunNan, China
2025 April
4K UHD 60FPS

The Water Splashing Festival, also known as the Buddha Bathing Festival, is called "Sangkan Bimai" in Dai language, which means the New Year of the Dai calendar. The festival celebrations are mainly concentrated in the Dai settlements in various cities and counties in Yunnan Province, and have a history of more than 1,000 years. The Water Splashing Festival is a comprehensive stage that showcases the Dai people's water culture, music and dance culture, food culture, clothing culture, and traditional culture such as advocating nature. It is the Dai people's grandest festival of the year and carries a profound historical and cultural heritage.

The Water Splashing Festival is usually held from April 13th to 16th, corresponding to the sixth month of the Dai calendar, during the farming intermission period, the climate is hot, and water splashing has both cooling and blessing. In Dai folk tales, it is said that in ancient times, demons were rampant, and the people used water to extinguish their evil fire and eventually defeated the demons. Therefore, water splashing symbolizes exorcising evil and welcoming auspiciousness.

Main customs and activities
1. Water splashing carnival: People splash each other with clean water, and the water represents blessings and cleanliness. Young people often play with water guns and buckets, while they sprinkle water on the elders with flower branches to show respect.
2. Bathing the Buddha: Believers bathe the Buddha statues in the temple and pray for peace.
3. Building sand towers: Building towers with sand by the river, inserting colorful flags and offerings to express awe of nature.
4. Dragon Boat Race: Fierce dragon boat races are held on the Lancang River.
5. Setting off high-rise fireworks: Homemade bamboo fireworks "high-rise" are shot into the sky, implying a good harvest.
6. Market fair: The market gathers all kinds of Dai specialties, snacks and various commodities.
7. Setting off Kongming lanterns and water lanterns: praying for blessings and eliminating disasters and conveying thoughts.

Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture (abbreviated as "Xishuangbanna") is a tropical area at the southernmost tip of Yunnan Province, China, bordering Laos and Myanmar. It is famous for its unique tropical rainforest scenery and colorful ethnic minority culture. Xishuangbanna is mainly populated by the Dai people, and there are 13 other ethnic groups including the Han, Hani, Jinuo, Lahu, and Bulang. All Dai people believe in Southern Buddhism, and there are Buddhist temples in every village. Festivals are closely linked to Buddhist culture (such as the Water Splashing Festival, the Closing Festival, and the Opening Festival).

The Xishuangbanna Dai New Year Festival National Folk Culture Parade is held during the Water Splashing Festival in April every year. It is one of the most representative mass cultural activities of the Xishuangbanna Water Splashing Festival. The 2025 parade consists of 8 square formations and 53 performance teams. Nearly 3,500 people dressed in ethnic costumes gathered on the streets of Jinghong City to show the unique ethnic folk culture of Xishuangbanna through singing and dancing, intangible cultural heritage, floats, and creative performances.

01:22 Nationalities performance teams by Manting Park
04:04 Jinuo drum performance team
05:01 Dai traditional peacock performance team
08:46 Zongfo Temple performance team
10:20 Mengbala Naxi performance team
12:14 Jinglan Cultural Tourism Float Team
13:23 Dai performance team
20:42 Hani performance team
22:55 Lahu performance team
22:27 Jinuo performance team
23:58 Huayao Dai performance team
24:35 Lahu performance team
26:01 Yao performance team
27:00 Yinhu Grand Theater performance team
28:42 Mengle Cultural Tourism Area performance team
30:10 Bulang performance team
33:48 Dai intangible cultural heritage square
45:15 Peacock Princess Live Performance Team
47:17 Twelve themed floats parade

Watch more:
'Select' of 2025(Dai Calendar 1387): https://youtu.be/p38VxnKfFCc
2024(Dai Calendar 1386): https://youtu.be/YgyVRw3RndE
2023(Dai Calendar 1385): https://youtu.be/Urx623F4b9E

YunNan, China - Chao's Travel Log / 中国云南 - 超思旅行日志
Chao' Studio 超思工作室 / Contact: chao@chaostu.cc

📺 Re-live ALL the incredible #paris2024 action ➡️ https://go.olympics.com/watch

Remember one of the biggest goosebump moments of the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony that was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest? It was the moment when 2,008 drummers played the bronze Fou drums and sang the quote from The Analects of Confucius written 2000 years ago: "Isn’t it delightful to have friends coming from afar?” to welcome friends from all over the world. Enjoy watching and tell us your favorite Olympic Memory in the comments.




_____________________________________________________
🇨🇳 #beijing2022 replays: https://oly.ch/B22Replays
🇯🇵 #tokyo2020 replays: https://oly.ch/T20Replays
🗞️ News from the Olympic world: https://oly.ch/News

China’s New Undersea Tunnel Is So Extreme…Americans Can’t Even Imagine!

You may have heard China called the "infrastructure maniac" on the world stage. Far from an insult, this title is a tribute to what can only be described as a superhuman level of construction achievement. As a vast developing nation, China has powered its economic and social growth by building on an epic scale. Its engineers are like real-life superheroes, relentlessly creating monumental projects that serve the needs of its billion-plus people. In this video, we uncover the incredible stories behind these massive engineering feats that are reshaping the nation.

Disclaimer:
The content presented in our videos is intended solely for entertainment purposes. While we may draw upon facts, rumors, and fiction, viewers should not interpret any part of the content as factual or definitive information. Please enjoy responsibly.

Check Out These Videos:
China’s New Undersea Tunnel Is So Extreme…Americans Can’t Even Imagine!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svtrRKmSy5A&t=9s

China Builds World’s Most Magnificent Undersea Tunnel, Stuns U.S. Engineers with "Impossible" Feat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Maw_qoOIo&t=7s

#chinanewyear2026 #dronelightshow #fireworks #chinacelebration2026 as New Year 2026 arrives, this cinematic vision unfolds across the night skies of China, presenting a breathtaking drone light and fireworks spectacle created to welcome a new beginning filled with hope, unity, and celebration.

Thousands of synchronized drones rise above the city, forming vast luminous patterns — symbols of renewal, prosperity, harmony, and the future — while cascading fireworks illuminate the skyline below. Each aerial sequence flows seamlessly into the next, transforming the sky into a living canvas of light, motion, and precision.

Though every formation stands on its own, together they create a continuous visual narrative, celebrating technological innovation, cultural pride, and the shared joy of welcoming a new year. The choreography between drones and fireworks is deliberate and balanced, allowing light, color, and scale to speak for themselves.

The atmosphere is immersive and cinematic, guided by the rhythm of light rather than narration. There is no spoken dialogue, no on-screen text, allowing viewers to fully absorb the spectacle — ideal for family audiences, cultural appreciation, and large-screen or television viewing as the world welcomes 2026.

⚠️ Disclaimer: This video is a cinematic visualization created for artistic, cultural, and inspirational purposes only. It does not depict a real or officially recorded world record event.

Thank you for celebrating New Year 2026 through this extraordinary drone and fireworks display in China.
✨ May 2026 bring light, progress, peace, and unity to people around the world.

#chinanewyear #droneshow #fireworksdisplay #newyearcelebration #chinaevents2026 #lightandharmony #worldcelebration2026

When XPENG revealed its humanoid robot “Iron,” people refused to believe it was real. Its movements were so human-like that the internet exploded with conspiracy theories—claiming it had to be an actor in a suit. But instead of arguing online, XPENG did something unbelievable: they brought Iron back on stage… and cut it open live to prove it was 100% robotic.

In this video, we dive into how this Chinese robot fooled the world, the emotional moment that silenced the skeptics, and how XPENG’s engineers built the most lifelike humanoid robot ever made. From its biomimetic spine and synthetic muscles to AI chips running trillions of operations per second—this isn’t science fiction anymore. It’s the next step in human-robot evolution.

👉 Watch till the end to see how XPENG Iron changed the global robotics race forever.

#xpeng #xpengiron #humanoidrobot #chinarobot #robotics #robotnews #xpengmotors #ai #xpenghumanoid #ironrobot #technews

This traditional piece, 綠野仙蹤, is inspired by a tragic romantic fable in Chinese culture - the story of Lian Hua. (See below to read full story)

Xiao solo with piano, composed by 赵聪, arranged by 陈悦.

The beauty of the instrument:
The instrument I played this piece on is called the Xiao (箫), which is one of my favorite traditional Chinese instruments. With over 8,000 years of history, the Xiao's beauty and simplicity has stayed much the same since ancient times. Made from bamboo, it possesses a unique mellow tone that can carry incredibly deep emotions. I hope this music touches you as deeply as it does me, and hope that you enjoy my performance!


The tragic story of Lian Hua:
The story behind the song is that from ancient China and of a beautiful Chinese girl, Lian Hua, or Lotus Blossom, who at 12 summers, was kidnapped by another clan. It was the Chinese ambassador's son, Chin Win, who was much older and had first lay eyes on her while she traveled with her family to his lands in the east to trade. Lian’s father, Cho, a musician and instrument maker, had traveled there to sell the flutes and ruans he crafted, in the Great Emperors court.

Upon her return home, Chin ordered a faction of the Great Emperors army to escort Lian Hua and her family back to their lands in the west. As honored as Lian's family was for the kind gesture, little did they know Chin's real motive. By sunrise Lian had vanished and was nowhere in sight. Under the cover of night a few of Chin’s men gagged and tied her and rode away eastward.

For days her family searched and mourned for Lian Hua with the help of Chin's men, who only pretended to help, as they knew all too well of her disappearance. Not fully knowing what happened to Lian Hua, they feared she was dead – and with that, many years passed. In those years, Lian Hua had grown more beautiful than when she first arrived to the house of Chin.

Chin tried for many years to win the love of Lian Hua, but knowing of her abduction, she rejected him and thought only of her family and the lands to the west she so desperately missed. Chin grew frustrated with Lian Hua and imprisoned her as punishment. Chin so loved Lian Hua but her affection he could not have. As such, he became embittered and drank heavily and with Lian Hua being held captive, he visited her one night, drunk and furious.

"I bring you to this land in the hopes of making a better life for you and making you my wife and yet – you are ungrateful!" Chin said furiously while reaching for his knife as if to strike her. Lian Hua, chained to the ground below slowly looked up at Chin. Her beautiful face radiated with the light of the fool moon shining through the window.

“Wait!” Lian cried. "Know now that I came here captured by your will. My home, my family is beyond the mountains to the west, not here with you! Yet you imprison me like a caged bird so that I may someday love you.”

Chin raised his head higher still holding his knife as Lian Hua went on:
“It is you, Chin, who is a prisoner among yourself. For as long as I am held here, I will never love you… never.” Tears swelled her eyes. It was these very words that Lian Hua spoke that further enraged Chin.

“Then if you can never love me, no one ever will!” With that, Chin took his knife and cut the right side of Lian’s beautiful face. A struggle ensued as Chin tried to have his way with Lian Hua. She tried desperately to fight him off – only to feel the blade of his knife strike her in the chest. In her struggle, Lian Hua let out a gasp and slowly fell to the ground.

That same night Lian Hua’s mother Mei awoke from a dream she had. In her dream, she heard Lian Hua call to her and felt she was near. Mei rose and went outside and looked around calling to her daughter.
“Lian Hua, Lian Hua, where are you?” She cried running, looking. “I am here my beautiful daughter, I am here.” The old woman cried. Now exhausted she fell to her knees weeping.

Then, realizing it was just a dream, she looked up to the heavens and prayed to the spirits for acting foolish. To her amazement, Mei noticed a shooting star flying westward leaving a slight glimmering trail that slowly dissipated in the sky above her. In old China, this is known as “A Trail of Angels.” Somehow, Lian Hua’s mother knew that her daughter had returned to her that night but was now in the spirit world. Revealing this dream to Cho the next day, Cho picked up a flute and played this very song to the memory of Lian Hua – a lotus that forever blossoms.

Story credits: Johan Rohas' comment on "Beautiful Chinese Music – Bamboo Flute"

The China International Fashion Week kicks off with an autumn-winter 2019-2020 International Young Fashion Designers Contest runway in Beijing Hotel.

.

Happy New Year 2026 from Chongqing, China! 🎆

In this video, I captured the spectacular New Year's Eve celebration in Chongqing. The scale was massive, featuring river boat lasers, water curtain projections, and a record-breaking fleet of **8000 drones** lighting up the sky!

📍 **A quick note:**
The crowds in Chongqing tonight were absolutely insane! Because there were so many people, I couldn't fight my way to the absolute best vantage point, so some parts of the video might not have the "perfect" angle. I appreciate your understanding!

🚀 **Please watch until the end!**
The **8000-drone finale** was absolutely breathtaking. The countdown and the visuals in the sky were shocking. I hope you enjoy this festive atmosphere!

If you enjoyed this video, please like and subscribe for more walking tours and vlogs.

⏳ **Timestamps:**
00:00 Highlights
00:29 Opening Light Show
00:51 Aerial Screen & Water Cannon Boats
02:30 Laser Water Curtain Show
08:02 New Year Drone Show (8000 Drones!)
22:00 The End

#chongqing #china #newyear2026 #8000drones #droneshow #fireworks #cyberpunk #travelchina #vlog

2026 China's New Year Fireworks Show in Shanghai|China Travel
中国上海新年元旦庆典烟花秀|中国新年旅游|上海跨年夜

More than 500 million people have been lifted out of poverty since China's economic reforms began in 1978.

Watch the #balmainss21 show during #PFW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p49HbjuX9fw

«I wanted the #balmainss21 show to reflect the optimism and audacity built into Balmain’s DNA. When Monsieur Pierre Balmain founded the house after France’s liberation in 1945, he was young, daring and convinced that better days were ahead. Today we’ve all experienced the awesome power of 2020’s solidarity, compassion and tenacity—which assures us that we can and will move through this moment and emerge stronger.» Olivier Rousteing

CONNECT WITH BALMAIN CHANNELS → https://lnk.balmain.com/follow

Subscribe to us on YouTube: http://ow.ly/Zvqj30aIsgY

Follow us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cgtnafrica/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cgtnafrica
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cgtn_africa/

⁣Beauty of the mountains.

China, the gateway to East Asia, is a fascinating country. It is an ancient civilization that gave the world Peking Man, gunpowder and noodles. Visitors making their first trip to China usually stick to the larger cities. More experienced visitors to the Middle Kingdom will strike out in other directions, where traveling may be a bit more frustrating because of the language barrier, but most definitely doable for independent travelers. Here’s a look at the best places to visit in China:

Let's talk about what sustainable tourism, especially in rural areas like this beautiful little town in China's southwestern Yunnan province, really means.

Featuring Brian Linden of The Linden Center - I can't be thankful enough for his time explaining his philosophies for working with locals to showcase the pride of their gorgeous landscapes to outsiders. We filmed an hour long interview that never got a chance to be placed on my previous jobs' site... now I'm using that footage for myself.

subscribe to my newsletter!
https://elaine-is-xyz.ghost.io/

[[Also find me on]]

➫ Instagram: http://instagram.com/elaineisxyz​
➫ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elaineisxyz
➫ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elaineisxyz​
➫ Twitter: http://twitter.com/elaineisxyz​

Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/joescott

There are a lot of channels (including this one) talking about the private space race, but few are paying much attention to what China’s been doing. Shut out of international space missions for 14 years, they have built their own program, with a strong commitment to the moon in 2029. And their track record has been beyond impressive.

Today we’ll discuss the Chinese space program, plus topics relating to tragedies in Kpop, ancient wisdom around meteorites, and the future politics of Mars on today’s lightning round video.

Want to support the channel? Here's how:

Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/answerswithjoe
Channel Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channe....l/UC-2YHgc363EdcusLI
T-Shirts & Merch: http://www.answerswithjoe.com/store

Check out my 2nd channel, Joe Scott TMI:
https://www.youtube.com/channe....l/UCqi721JsXlf0wq3Z_

And my podcast channel, Conversations With Joe:
https://www.youtube.com/channe....l/UCJzc7TiJ2nnuyJkUp

You can listen to my podcast, Conversations With Joe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Spotify 👉 https://spoti.fi/37iPGzF
Apple Podcasts 👉 https://apple.co/3j94kfq
Google Podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/3qZCo1V

Follow me at all my places!
Instagram: https://instagram.com/answerswithjoe
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@answerswithjoe
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/answerswithjoe
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/answerswithjoe

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Intro
1:20 - Manned Mars Mission
12:01 - Mars Colony Politics
18:42 - Topics To Explore
21:53 - Forging Meteoric Iron
25:06 - New Member Call Outs
26:00 - Alternative Cements
30:05 - Sponsor - Nebula

The Chinese Lantern Festival is believed to date back 2000 years ago to the Eastern Han Dynasty when Buddhist monks would light lanterns in the temples. Traditionally, the Lantern Festival marks the end of the Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival. The lanterns are thought to symbolize people letting go of their pasts and celebrating a new future.

In partnership with Zigong Lantern Group and China Lantern International, which is the #1 industry leader in Chinese Lantern Festivals worldwide, Jungle Island will invite visitors from around the globe to marvel at a nighttime jungle filled with giant lanterns, up lit by over 1 million LED lights and hand-crafted out of colorful silk by Chinese artisans, from October 5, 2019 to January 8, 2020.

Shanghai Lunar New Year Parade 2026 comes alive in ultra realistic AI with Veo 3 cinematic prompts, featuring Shanghai Lunar New Year Parade 2026 spectacle, Shanghai Lunar New Year Parade 2026 mega floats, and Shanghai Lunar New Year Parade 2026 fireworks finale. Watch giant lantern cathedral floats, dragon phoenix gate floats, and fire horse zodiac floats in Shanghai, China—captured with wide hero parade framing, bright clear lighting, and nonstop festival energy. This AI parade video focuses on Chinese New Year culture, Chinese New Year culture, Chinese New Year culture through Shanghai street celebration, Shanghai street celebration, Shanghai street celebration with drums, dancers, and crowd cheers. Enjoy Veo 3 prompts, Veo 3 prompts, Veo 3 prompts designed for 4K cinematic parade visuals, 4K cinematic parade visuals, 4K cinematic parade visuals.

This video is AI-generated for visual storytelling and cultural appreciation. It is intended to celebrate traditions respectfully, promote cultural curiosity, and provide family-friendly entertainment; it is not official event footage and does not represent real organizers or authorities.

#shanghai #lunarnewyear #chinesenewyear #veo3 #aiparade #4kcinematic #festivalparade #fireworks