Several humanoid robots have recently visited the Beijing Central Business District as part of an "energy relay" for the upcoming 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games (WHRG).
The humanoid robots were tasked to collect energy by shopping for clothes, performing dances for shoppers at the China Central Mall, and dinning on a sightseeing bus to light up "energy cubes" fastened to their chests.
The energy cube is a diamond-shaped metal pendant, with a blue, multifaceted crystal embedded inside.
During the energy relay, which began at the Badaling section of the Great Wall in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing last Tuesday, the robots are supposed to carry these cubes to visit UNESCO World Heritage sites, dual-Olympic venues, and other iconic landmarks in Beijing.
Their journey will conclude on August 14 at the National Speed Skating Oval -- the main venue of the WHRG. There, the energy cubes will assemble into a "smart core" and will be lit up at the event's opening ceremony on the same day.
Initiated by China Media Group, the energy relay aims to demonstrate connectivity between human and technology, bringing cutting-edge technology to the public.
Following the 2025 World Robot Conference from August 8 to 12, the inaugural WHRG will take place from August 15 to 17 in Beijing.
As the world's first multi-sport competition for humanoid robots, the WHRG will feature main events to test the athletic and functional skills of robots in track and field, soccer, dance, handling materials, and medical sorting, as well as peripheral events like badminton, table tennis and basketball that emphasize entertainment and audience interaction.
Humanoid robots visit Beijing CBD as part of energy relay for world's first robot games
China's express delivery sector continued to post significant growth in the first 11 months of 2025, handling over 180 billion parcels to record a nearly 15 percent year-on-year increase, official data showed on Tuesday.
According to the State Post Bureau, the country's China's broader postal industry, which includes express delivery services, saw a total of 196.75 billion parcels from January through November, marking a 12.9 percent rise from the same period in 2024.
The postal industry's total business revenue exceeded 1.63 trillion yuan (over 230 billion U.S. dollars), up 6.7 percent year on year, the data showed.
Specifically, the overall express delivery revenue reached nearly 1.36 trillion yuan, a 7.1 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Same-city express deliveries amounted to 14.47 billion parcels, a 2.2 percent year-on-year increase, while cross-region deliveries surged by 16.3 percent to 162.44 billion parcels.
The total volume of express deliveries to overseas countries and China's Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions reached 3.83 billion parcels, a year-on-year increase of 11.3 percent.
In November alone, China's postal industry handled 19.49 billion parcels, up 3.8 percent year on year. Among these, more than 18 billion parcels were handled in express delivery sector, up 5 percent year on year.
In November, the postal industry's business revenue, excluding the direct business revenue of Postal Savings Bank, reached 162.68 billion yuan (over 23 billion U.S. dollars), a year-on-year decrease of 2.0 percent.
Specifically, express delivery revenue reached 137.65 billion yuan (around 19.5 billion U.S. dollars), showing a year-on-year decrease of 3.7 percent.
China's express delivery sector posts double-digit growth in first 11 months
