Innovation, way of life redraw international perceptions of China-Xinhua

BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) — For Victoria, a customer from Denmark, her journey to China this summer time proved eye-opening: the scenes she had seen on TikTok turned vividly actual and tangible.

Inside a shopping center in Shanghai, Victoria joined crowds gathered round a makeshift boxing ring outdoors Unitree Robotics’ newly-opened expertise retailer, the primary outlet of its variety in Asia. Two humanoid robots in pink and purple helmets sparred earlier than onlookers, and he or she pulled out her telephone to seize the second.

“I watched clips of these robots dancing online, but it’s really cool to see them in person,” Victoria stated. She described China’s fast advances in synthetic intelligence (AI) and robotics as one thing “revolutionary, new and exciting.”

She additionally recalled watching a humanoid robotic brew a cup of tea. For her, these novel encounters are way over entertaining novelties — they’re vivid proof that China’s tech breakthroughs are stepping out of labs and manufacturing unit flooring and into the material of on a regular basis life.

The booming progress of China’s robotics and embodied AI trade is absolutely showcased on the 2026 World Robot Conference (WRC), which lately concluded in Beijing. The occasion drew over 300 exhibitors from 26 nations and areas, showcasing greater than 3,000 cutting-edge tech merchandise and giving the world an up-close view of China’s fast-evolving robotics sector.

Xu Xiaolan, president of the Chinese Institute of Electronics, famous on the convention that China’s embodied AI trade has entered a essential section of large-scale business software, with related merchandise transitioning from small-scale trial operation to widespread market deployment.

China has developed greater than 400 full humanoid robotic merchandise, over half of the worldwide whole, knowledge from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology confirmed in July, whereas a WRC report revealed that China shipped greater than 40,000 humanoid robots within the first half of 2026, accounting for 97 % of world shipments.

As China’s tech sector, notably the robotics trade, prospers, international perceptions of the nation’s technological capabilities are altering profoundly. Back in 2008, Rebecca Fannin, writer of “Silicon Dragon,” predicted the rise of China’s tech sector in her ebook, a forecast that was extensively dismissed on the time.

Today, the tide has turned. Fannin stated international audiences more and more acknowledge China as a number one modern nation, as Chinese-made merchandise starting from humanoid robots and electrical automobiles to clever robotic lawnmowers and sensible laundry home equipment achieve rising traction within the United States and past.

“We’re looking to China as a leader of the futuristic vision — that’s a big change from the past,” she shared in a program hosted by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, a non-profit devoted to advancing bilateral understanding.

Yuan Shaoyu, visiting assistant professor at New York University, shared his ideas about China’s tech rise throughout this system.

“Many people now see Chinese companies producing products and platforms that are genuinely felt more innovative, more polished, and also affordable compared to the Western ones,” he stated, pointing to the sheer vary of China’s tech innovation.

Technology is way from the one draw. Increasingly, Chinese tradition and on a regular basis life are additionally successful over younger audiences within the West.

From Los Angeles to London, Generation Z is embracing genuine Chinese way of life traits on-line, fueled by viral hashtags corresponding to #Turning intoChinese and #Chinamaxxing.

A rising variety of younger Westerners now observe Chinese-inspired wellness routines: they put on cotton slippers at residence, begin their mornings with heat congee, and minimize down on icy drinks to reside more healthy.

Yet this fascination stretches far past well being habits. Global younger audiences are additionally drawn to China’s streamlined, people-centered modern-life choices, starting from high-speed rail, friction-free on-line procuring and meals supply to hit Chinese TV dramas and unique role-playing video games.

Eric Hovagim, an American YouTuber, thought China could be the final place he would go to, not to mention cool down, due to how U.S. media portrayed the nation. Many of his friends felt the identical.

Nevertheless, he encountered China and was shocked by what the nation presents — bustling metropolises on par with New York, solely safer and extra handy, and a tranquil life in small cities regardless of how distant.

“We saw that and realized China is not a place we thought it was,” Hovagim stated.

In Hovagim’s eyes, worldwide content material creators and Chinese social media influencers play a essential function in bridging cultural divides and displaying the true China to the world. By capturing on a regular basis, unscripted moments of modern-day China, their movies construct a well-rounded portrait of the nation — one which resonates with audiences throughout international social media platforms.

China’s latest visa-free insurance policies have enabled extra Western guests to expertise China firsthand. Official figures recorded 22.9 million inbound international arrivals in China in the course of the first half of 2026, a 20.4-percent year-on-year enhance.

This surge of tourists displays a broader shift in international attitudes towards China. A July Pew Research Center survey of 42,151 adults worldwide discovered that 25 out of 36 polled nations maintain favorable views of the nation.

Separately, the 2026 Global Soft Power Index from London-based consultancy Brand Finance positioned China second globally, with its rating just one.4 factors decrease than that of the United States. The outcome underscores China’s rising cultural pull and worldwide enchantment.

Captivated by the nation’s stress-free, fulfilling way of life, Hovagim hopes his dad and mom will at some point retire in Shanghai. He footage them savoring its slow-paced joys: dancing alongside native seniors and pausing to sip heat goji berry tea from a thermos flask.  ■