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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
A child plays in a square in Jingning County, Gansu Province, northwest China, on February 13, 2026. China is filled with vibrant celebrations during the Spring Festival. /Photo: Xinhua/
Hangzhou/Shenzhen, February 17 (Xinhua) — In China, which celebrated the Year of the Horse today, the millennia-old traditions of the Spring Festival (Chinese Spring Festival, the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year) seamlessly intertwine with cutting-edge technology. This blend of tradition and innovation expresses the enduring aspirations of the holiday, emphasizing the importance of both heritage and innovation.
In anticipation of the 2026 Chinese New Year, a tourist pier on the banks of Qiandao Lake in Chun'an County, Zhejiang Province, eastern China, was filled with excitement as over 200 performers in traditional costumes, appearing from afar, performed a dance on colorful "bamboo horses." These stylized horses, decorated with colorful fabric and attached to bamboo frames, were tied around the performers' waists, creating the illusion of movement.
In the Chinese zodiac, the horse symbolizes speed, endurance, and an adventurous spirit. To the sounds of jubilant music, the colorful herd leaped and galloped, forming a lively and joyful procession that left spectators with a fresh and exhilarating experience.
Pan Yongxia, director of the Chun'an County Cultural Center, explained that all the county's bamboo horse dance troupes participated in this performance, creating a truly unprecedented spectacle. Hundreds more similar performances are expected to be seen in several towns, townships, and villages throughout the holiday season.
The origins of the Chunan "bamboo horse" dance date back to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), and it has long served as an important folk tradition during local festivals such as the Spring Festival and the Lantern Festival. In 2014, the dance was inscribed on the National Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.
"Performances have evolved from small groups of five to large-scale square dances with dozens or even hundreds of participants, actively engaging all age groups. The inclusion of modern elements, such as street dance, has made this art form more accessible and appealing to the younger generation," said Pan Yunxia.
"It's crucial to preserve traditional performance methods while innovatively combining them with modern dance to attract a wider audience," said 86-year-old Fan Bingkun, the former representative heir to the Chun'an Bamboo Horse Dance. Over the course of 70 years of creative work, he systematized and catalogued the footwork, dance composition, chants, and melodies while preserving the essence of the tradition, making the art more accessible for both teaching and performing.
While this intangible heritage graced celebrations in an ancient county in eastern China, in the south of the country, high-tech celebrations for the Year of the Horse lit up the skies over Shenzhen, a major tech hub in Guangdong province.
At the Window of the World theme park, approximately 200,000 spectators watched a stunning New Year's drone show. Thousands of drones formed a dynamic herd of horses racing across the night sky, accompanied by the thrilling rhythms of Chinese drums and sound effects imitating the clatter of hooves, adding a special majesty to the spectacle. The drones depicted complex scenes with stunning precision: flowing manes, hoofprints, and the character "ma" (horse), the symbol for 2026 in the Chinese zodiac.
"The technology we use allows each drone to achieve centimeter- or even millimeter-level accuracy, synchronizing the positions of tens of thousands of drones on the same time scale with incredible precision. Advanced algorithms calculate and fill in any missing parts of the image in real time," noted drone show organizer Huang Xing, brand manager of Shenzhen DAMODA Intelligent Control Technology Co., Ltd.
Young audiences highly praised this technologically immersive spectacle, with many filming short videos and livestreaming them on-site. "I found the 3D dynamic effects and the smooth movement of the herd of horses more visually stunning and environmentally friendly than traditional fireworks displays." "The festive yet futuristic show is perfect for a social media post," added one viewer.
The technologically advanced celebration in Shenzhen has also won the hearts of the older generation. "Seeing familiar cultural symbols, including the lion dance and the character 'fu' (happiness) during the drone show, I immediately felt a real New Year's atmosphere. The format is certainly new, but the roots of the celebration remain deeply rooted in cultural traditions," noted a 70-year-old local resident.
Furthermore, the silent, smokeless, and vibrant drone show allows seniors to comfortably enjoy the entire program. Many seniors openly stated that "this dynamic and lively spectacle is quiet, easy to see, and extremely enjoyable."
This high-tech celebration format is spreading across the country and beyond. DAMODA reported that its drone shows have been presented in over 100 cities across China and over 50 countries and regions worldwide. The company also continues to improve image clarity, show duration, and stage variety, and is integrating drone shows with cultural tourism and the nightlife sector.
Today's Spring Festival celebrations in China are a harmonious blend of millennia-old agricultural customs, such as pasting paired "chunlian" signs with New Year's wishes, visiting temple fairs, and solving riddles on traditional lanterns, and AI-powered festivities, including robots delivering New Year's greetings on stage at Spring Festival gala concerts and robotic hands brewing coffee at temple fairs.
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