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Robots: a Chinese conversation with pinyin and English

Humanoid robots danced on the 2025 Spring Festival Gala, and a robot ran the 2026 Beijing half marathon in 50 minutes 26 seconds.

Play: Robots

The conversation

Speakers: Xiaoyu and Yating.

  1. Xiaoyu

    你(nǐ)看(kàn)了(le)2025年(nián)春(chūn)晚(wǎn)的(de)机(jī)器(qì)人(rén)秧(yāng)歌(ge)吗(ma)?我(wǒ)奶(nǎi)奶(nai)差(chà)点(diǎn)把(bǎ)手(shou)机(jī)摔(shuāi)了(le)。

    Did you catch the robot yangge dance at the 2025 Spring Festival Gala? My grandma almost dropped her phone.

  2. Yating

    16台(tái)宇(yǔ)树(shù)H1人(rén)形(xíng)机(jī)器(qì)人(rén),跟(gēn)真(zhēn)人(rén)一(yí)块(kuài)儿(r)扭(niǔ)秧(yāng)歌(ge)还(hái)抛(pāo)手(shǒu)绢(juàn)呢(ne)。

    Sixteen Unitree H1 humanoid robots were dancing yangge right alongside real people, and they were even tossing handkerchiefs.

  3. Xiaoyu

    跳(tiào)得(de)比(bǐ)我(wǒ)都(dōu)好(hǎo),气(qì)人(rén)。

    They danced better than I do. So annoying.

  4. Yating

    2025年(nián)4月(yuè)北(běi)京(jīng)还(hái)举(jǔ)办(bàn)了(le)机(jī)器(qì)人(rén)半(bàn)程(chéng)马(mǎ)拉(lā)松(sōng),跟(gēn)人(rén)类(lèi)选(xuǎn)手(shǒu)一(yì)起(qǐ)跑(pǎo)的(de)。

    Beijing even hosted a robot half marathon in April 2025, running right alongside human competitors.

  5. Xiaoyu

    我(wǒ)有(yǒu)印(yìn)象(xiàng),当(dāng)时(shí)不(bù)少(shǎo)机(jī)器(qì)人(rén)在(zài)路(lù)上(shang)直(zhí)踉(liàng)跄(qiàng)。

    I remember that. Quite a few of the robots were stumbling all over the place.

  6. Yating

    冠(guàn)军(jūn)成(chéng)绩(jì)是(shì)2小(xiǎo)时(shí)40分(fēn)。再(zài)看(kàn)看(kan)2026年(nián)的(de)数(shù)据(jù)。

    The winner clocked in at 2 hours 40 minutes. Now look at the 2026 numbers.

  7. Xiaoyu

    那(nà)2026年(nián)4月(yuè)夺(duó)冠(guàn)的(de)机(jī)器(qì)人(rén),到(dào)底(dǐ)跑(pǎo)了(le)多(duō)长(cháng)时(shí)间(jiān)?

    So how long did the robot that won in April 2026 actually take?

    1. 50分(fēn)26秒(miǎo) 50 minutes and 26 seconds
    2. 5小(xiǎo)时(shí)26分(fēn) 5 hours and 26 minutes
    3. 26分(fēn)50秒(miǎo) 26 minutes and 50 seconds
    Answer

    50分(fēn)26秒(miǎo) 50 minutes and 26 seconds

  8. Yating

    50分(fēn)26秒(miǎo)。直(zhí)接(jiē)打(dǎ)破(pò)了(le)人(rén)类(lèi)57分(fēn)20秒(miǎo)的(de)世(shì)界(jiè)纪(jì)录(lù)。

    50 minutes and 26 seconds. It completely smashed the human world record of 57 minutes and 20 seconds.

  9. Xiaoyu

    短(duǎn)短(duǎn)一(yì)年(nián)就(jiù)这(zhè)速(sù)度(dù)?我(wǒ)是(shì)不(bú)是(shì)该(gāi)提(tí)前(qián)练(liàn)习(xí)百(bǎi)米(mǐ)冲(chōng)刺(cì)了(le)?

    Improving that fast in just one year? Should I start practicing my 100-meter dash now?

  10. Yating

    你(nǐ)那(nà)两(liǎng)条(tiáo)腿(tuǐ)可(kě)跑(pǎo)不(bú)过(guò)人(rén)家(jiā)服(fú)务(wù)器(qì)。

    Your two legs aren't outrunning their servers.

  11. Xiaoyu

    说(shuō)曹(cáo)操(cāo)曹(cáo)操(cāo)到(dào),咱(zán)们(men)的(de)饺(jiǎo)子(zi)就(jiù)是(shì)送(sòng)餐(cān)机(jī)器(qì)人(rén)端(duān)来(lái)的(de),还(hái)叮(dīng)嘱(zhǔ)我(wǒ)慢(màn)用(yòng)。

    Speak of the devil, our dumplings were brought over by a delivery robot that even told me to enjoy my meal.

  12. Yating

    现(xiàn)在(zài)送(sòng)餐(cān)机(jī)器(qì)人(rén)可(kě)聪(cōng)明(míng)了(le),酒(jiǔ)店(diàn)里(lǐ)连(lián)电(diàn)梯(tī)都(dōu)会(huì)自(zì)己(jǐ)坐(zuò)。

    Delivery robots are so smart these days. In hotels, they even ride elevators all by themselves.

  13. Xiaoyu

    态(tài)度(dù)倒(dào)挺(tǐng)客(kè)气(qi),我(wǒ)都(dōu)想(xiǎng)给(gěi)它(tā)塞(sāi)个(gè)红(hóng)包(bāo)了(le)。

    It was so polite I almost wanted to slip it a red envelope.

  14. Yating

    人(rén)家(jiā)机(jī)器(qì)不(bù)收(shōu)小(xiǎo)费(fèi)。

    Robots don't take tips.

  15. Xiaoyu

    那(nà)只(zhǐ)好(hǎo)我(wǒ)把(bǎ)饺(jiǎo)子(zi)全(quán)收(shōu)下(xià)了(le),扯(chě)平(píng)。

    Guess I'll just have to eat all the dumplings myself to call it even.

Hear it read aloud in the app

Words in the conversation

Notes

The 2025 Spring Festival Gala

On the 2025 Spring Festival Gala (Chunwan), 16 Unitree H1 humanoids danced the yangge folk dance with 16 human dancers in a piece titled "Yang BOT". The robots spun and caught handkerchiefs. It was made with director Zhang Yimou and the Xinjiang Arts Institute.

World Humanoid Robot Games

The games ran in Beijing from 14 to 17 August 2025, with about 280 teams and over 500 robots, at the National Stadium (Bird's Nest) and the National Speed Skating Oval. Events included running, football, boxing-style fights and practical tasks.

Half marathon, 2025

On 19 April 2025 about 21 humanoid robots ran the 21 km Yizhuang course in Beijing alongside human runners. The winner, Tiangong Ultra from the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, took 2 hours 40 minutes 42 seconds. Robots fell repeatedly.

Half marathon, 2026

On 19 April 2026 more than 100 humanoid entries ran in lanes separate from the human runners. A robot from the phone maker Honor won in 50 minutes 26 seconds with autonomous navigation, about 25 km/h on average, faster than the men's human world record of 57:20.

Factory humanoids

UBTech began mass production and delivery of "several hundred" Walker S2 industrial humanoids in mid-November 2025. The robot swaps its own battery to work around the clock, and it works in car factories, smart factories, logistics and data-collection centres.

Delivery robots

In restaurants a wheeled robot with trays brings dishes to the table and speaks a short line. Hotel robots ride the lift to deliver to rooms.

Robot vacuums

IDC's figures for the first three quarters of 2025 put Roborock first in smart robotic vacuum shipments, ahead of Ecovacs and Dreame.

Industrial robots

The International Federation of Robotics counted about 295,000 industrial robots installed in China in 2024, a record and 54% of the 542,000 installed worldwide.

Play

Robots

Humanoid robots danced on the 2025 Spring Festival Gala, and a robot ran the 2026 Beijing half marathon in 50 minutes 26 seconds.

  1. How many Unitree H1 robots danced at the 2025 Spring Festival Gala?

    Answer

    16. They danced with 16 human performers.

  2. Which folk dance did they perform?

    Answer

    Yangge. The robots spun and caught handkerchiefs.

  3. The winner of the 2025 Beijing humanoid half marathon took about:

    Answer

    2 h 40 min. Tiangong Ultra, 19 April 2025.

  4. In April 2026 the winning robot ran the half marathon in:

    Answer

    50 min 26 s. That beat the men's human world record of 57:20.

  5. Which company built the robot that won in 2026?

    Answer

    Honor. Honor is best known for phones.

  6. In 2024 China installed what share of the world's new industrial robots?

    Answer

    54%. IFR: 295,000 of 542,000.

  7. UBTech's factory humanoid that swaps its own battery is the:

    Answer

    Walker S2. Mass delivery began in November 2025.

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