A robot team from China's Tsinghua University is going to debut in Xiong'an New Area in north China's Hebei Province on Saturday evening after placing top of the AdultSize category in the RoboCup Humanoid League soccer world championship last month.
Jointly hosted by China Media Group (CMG) and local authorities of the Xiong'an New Area, the match features three core sections, namely a 4v4 game, a 3v3 game and a specific skill challenge.
Chinese-developed Booster T1 robots, champion of the RoboCup Humanoid League, will battle with a robot team from Shenyang City University.
"We are not allowed to touch them or send any messages to them as long as they don't have any problems after the match begins. Only when the robots encounter problems on the field, such as falling down and being unable to stand up by themselves, can we get involved. We have debugged the algorithm in multiple training sessions," said Luo Changsheng, leader of Tsinghua University's Hephaestus team.
"It's amazing that the robot can stand up quickly after falling to the ground," said audience member Sun Junnan after watching training sessions of the robots.
RoboCup was founded in 1997 and ranks among the world's most prestigious robotics competitions. This year's event was held in Brazil, attracting over 20 teams from 12 countries, including China, the United States, Germany, the Republic of Korea and France.
It was the first time a Chinese team claimed the top honor.
Chinese team to debut in Xiong'an after winning RoboCup Humanoid League
A former television host from Taiwan, Zhai Xuan, has made a pivotal decision to leave mainstream broadcasting in order to create content that provides a better understanding of the Chinese mainland and cross-strait relations.
Zhai, a seasoned television host with over a decade of experience in Taiwan's media landscape, recently addressed an audience at an event in Beijing, where she revealed her complete transition into independent online media.
In her remarks, she articulated her aspiration to bridge what she perceives as a significant information gap between audiences on both sides of the Strait, highlighting her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding and connection through her new endeavors.
"I was really surprised by all the fake news. There were stories saying people on the mainland can't afford tea eggs or that they live in mud houses and in Taiwan, this was the main information many people received," said Zhai.
Zhai said she initially began producing online videos to challenge such perceptions while continuing her work as a television host.
In April 2025, she travelled to the mainland with her father to fulfill her late grandfather's wish to return to his hometown. The trip, which reunited family members separated since 1949, was recorded in a video series titled "Journey to Find Our Roots", drawing attention from viewers in both Taiwan and the mainland.
"Many people in Taiwan told me that after watching, they wanted to apply for a mainland travel permit immediately and go looking for their relatives. Some had long forgotten these things, but after seeing my story, they began thinking about their hometowns and family members they had never met and decided to search for their roots," Zhai shared her story at the event.
By mid-2025, Zhai said she began to feel increasing pressure amid rising political tensions and a tightening atmosphere around cross-Strait exchanges in Taiwan.
After more than 12 years in the industry, Zhai resigned from her position, believing it was the right thing to do.
"At that moment, I felt this was a major issue，not just for me, but for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. If I backed down then, I wouldn’t be standing on the right side," said Zhai.
Since leaving television, Zhai has broadened her online programming to encompass a range of daily-life topics, including practical guidance on applying for a mainland travel permit and using commonly employed mobile applications, in addition to content that delves into historical memory and cultural connections across the Strait.
As the debate over cross-Strait relations continues in Taiwan, Zhai said she remains committed to her current path.
Former Taiwan TV host bridges cross-Strait divide via online media
