China’s Humanoid Robots Take Center Stage in Industry Boom

A Chinese young man recently brought eight humanoid robots to perform on America’s Got Talent, delivering a stunning human-robot dance routine that captivated global audiences. The performance is the latest in a growing trend of humanoid robots showcasing their talents on major stages, reflecting the rapid advancement and soaring public interest in China’s robotics industry.

According to People’s Daily, the stage has become an unexpected but effective training ground for humanoid robots, allowing companies to refine technology, reduce costs, and build self-sustaining business models before entering serious industrial applications.

From Spring Gala to Global Stage

China’s humanoid robots first captured national attention during the 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala on February 16, where four domestic companies — Unitree, GalaxyBot, Songyan Power, and Magic Atom — delivered show-stopping performances. Unitree’s G1 and H2 robots performed martial arts routines including drunken boxing, nunchaku, and sword dancing, achieving what the company called multiple world firsts: continuous parkour, flips over three meters high, and Airflare spins of 7.5 rotations.

As 36kr reported, the Spring Gala’s “robot fever” translated directly into consumer demand. JD.com reported that within the first two hours of the broadcast, robot search volume surged over 300%, customer inquiries grew 460%, and order volume rose 150%. Several “Spring Gala edition” robots sold out within minutes, including two units of the GALBOT G1 priced at nearly 630,000 yuan.

Market Dominance and Explosive Growth

Chinese companies now dominate the global humanoid robot market. According to Omdia and IDC data cited by IT Home, Chinese manufacturers captured the top six positions globally in humanoid robot shipments in 2025, holding 86.9% of the global market share. Total global shipments reached approximately 13,000 units — over five times the 2024 figure.

Leading the pack were Zhiyuan Robot with approximately 5,168 units shipped (39% market share), Unitree with over 5,500 units, and UBTech with 1,000 units. The surge reflects a broader investment boom: in 2025, over 600 investors participated in embodied intelligence funding, with more than 304 financing events totaling 37.9 billion yuan, according to IT Juzi data.

Policy Support and Standardization

The Chinese government has moved quickly to support the burgeoning industry. On February 28, the Humanoid Robot and Embodied Intelligence Standard System (2026 Edition) was officially released at the HEIS Annual Conference in Beijing. As CCTV News reported, this is China’s first standard system covering the full产业链 and lifecycle of humanoid robots and embodied intelligence, spanning six areas including basic commonality, brain-like intelligence, limbs and components, complete machines, applications, and safety ethics.

On June 3, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) jointly issued a notice pushing for normalized deployment of humanoid robots in real production and living environments, as documented on the MIIT official website. The Robot Industry Development Implementation Plan (2026-2028) sets localization targets for core components and provides R&D subsidies.

The Stage as a Strategic Training Ground

The core thesis of the original Economic Daily article is that entertainment stages serve as the optimal testing ground for humanoid robots before they enter serious industrial applications. This strategy rests on three pillars: technology refinement through error-tolerant environments, cost reduction through scale driven by China’s massive entertainment and service industry, and a self-sustaining business model built on the attention economy.

As the Economic Daily noted, “When a robot becomes a viral hit on short video platforms, a traffic magnet in shopping malls, or a novel guide in scenic areas, the value it creates is no longer simply replacing human labor.” The publication concluded: “Let robots first learn to grab attention on stage, then learn to earn a living in practical applications. Today’s talent shows will eventually transform into tomorrow’s productivity.”

Challenges Ahead

Despite the excitement, significant hurdles remain. Zhu Xiaohu, Managing Partner of GSR Ventures, posed a pointed question: “Who would spend over 100,000 yuan to buy a robot to do these jobs?” He Xiaopeng noted that if his company’s IRON robot worked on an assembly line, the high wear from frequent operations would require hand replacement every few months, with replacement costs exceeding several years of human labor.

Jiang Zheyuan, Founder of Songyan Power, highlighted a “severe data famine” for embodied intelligence training, noting that current data scales are insufficient. Current robots achieve only 30-50% of human worker efficiency, and most factory procurement remains at the trial stage.

Market Projections

Morgan Stanley forecasts China’s humanoid robot sales will reach 28,000 units in 2026 (133% year-on-year growth), 262,000 by 2030, and 2.6 million by 2035. The path from stage to factory, however, will require overcoming significant technical and economic barriers before humanoid robots truly earn their place on the factory floor.

As the Economic Daily observed: “Today’s talent shows will eventually transform into tomorrow’s productivity.” The question is how quickly that transformation can happen.