An increasing number of endangered Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys have been spotted at a forestry farm in Xi'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, as years of concerted conservation efforts pay off.
Featuring flattened noses and golden-colored furs, the monkeys under top-level state protection live in temperate forests of mountainous highlands in the provinces of Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi and Hubei respectively in the southwestern, northwestern and central parts of China.
Recently, staff members of the Taiping forestry farm in Xi'an saw a rare footage of golden snub-nosed monkeys captured by infrared cameras they installed earlier in the wild. In the footage, a male Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey was seen walking curiously towards the camera and trying to grab it with his hands.
"We have spotted Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys in the same area for three consecutive years. There are individual monkeys and a family of three. Our patrol workers have also found the traces of these monkeys in other places. The scope of their activity has increasingly enlarged over recent years," said Zhang Jianming, deputy director of the Taiping State-owned Ecological Forestry Farm.
Zhang said the forestry farm has placed multiple infrared cameras in the areas under its jurisdiction since 2021, which have captured images of four rare species under first-level state protection, including the golden monkey and golden takin, as well as nine species under second-level state protection, such as black bear and yellow-throated marten.
"It speaks volume for the ever-improving environment of Qinling Mountains. The eco-protection work has achieved good results. Our forest farm will continue to intensify wild animal protection, striving to make the sky of Qinling bluer, the mountains greener, and the water clearer," Zhang said.
The Qinling Mountains, mainly in Shaanxi Province, cover more than 50,000 square kilometers and are dubbed as China's "gene bank" of wild biology as it houses a huge variety of plants and wild animals.
Rare golden snub-nosed monkeys caught on camera in northwest China's Xi’an
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
