A whole host of cutting-edge technologies have been integrated into various festive scenarios across China during the ongoing Spring Festival, infusing the country's biggest annual holiday with a wave of high-tech innovations as people head out to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Horse.
The Spring Festival, which centers around the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional holiday for the Chinese people, and a time where millions head back to their hometowns for family reunions or travel on to popular tourist destinations.
During the festive season, the stunning Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luoyang City of central China's Henan Province, which sits over 2,200 meters above sea level, has been coated in a light layer of snow and is welcoming many visitors.
This year, thousands of drones fitted with low-temperature protection equipment and upgraded wind-resistant flight algorithms successfully performed a horse-themed festive formation display against the backdrop of the snow-capped peaks, delighting tourists.
"These traditional performances combined with tech-driven displays really capture the festive spirit. I'm thoroughly enjoying it," said Zhao Xintong, a tourist from east China's Anhui Province.
During this year's Spring Festival, over 20 cities across China have launched drone light shows. Additionally, traditional tourist attractions up and down the country have intensified technological enhancements in various ways as they look to entice more visitors.
At a dinosaur-themed amusement park in Changzhou City of east China's Jiangsu Province, giant AI-powered dinosaur lanterns are interacting and even conversing with visitors.
In the picturesque water town of Wuzhen in east China's Zhejiang Province, an inaugural AI light show is able to map out visitors' body movements into real-time, futuristic fluid patterns on screen, allowing guests to experience the novelty of technological innovations which are being added to the millennia-old cultural heritage of the town.
Meanwhile, amid the ongoing tech boom, robot rental orders have surged during the holiday, with some locations even facing shortages.
Intelligent robots are now ubiquitous across a diverse range of consumer settings from commercial complexes to restaurants, supermarkets, and tourist attractions.
At a large shopping mall in Shanghai, robots equipped with the latest voice interaction and smart navigation systems offer personalized shopping assistance, accompanying customers throughout their New Year's shopping, and helping with self-checkout services.
"The integration of robots into daily life embodies the power of technology, bringing many delightful surprises," said Cai Zijun, a consumer.
Major AI models have also rolled out updates with Spring Festival-exclusive features: from generating personalized New Year greetings and customizing family portraits to booking reunion banquets and purchasing travel tickets, delivering cross-platform and one-stop services.
In the week leading up to the Spring Festival, the number of active daily users of major AI models nationwide reached nearly 200 million, highlighting how people across China are increasingly turning to these AI platforms for everyday queries.
High-tech innovations help upgrade Spring Festival celebrations across China
A landmark visa-free arrangement for British passport holders to enter China officially came into force on Tuesday, coinciding with the start of the Year of the Horse, with many believing the move will inspire more UK travelers to come and explore the wonders of China.
As China celebrates its Spring Festival, the most important annual holiday marking the Chinese New Year, British visitors arriving in Beijing on Monday were given a special surprise as they were invited to take part in a lucky draw, with some touristy prizes on offer.
Travelers were encouraged to randomly pick an envelope, the contents of which included a range of gift packages such as tickets to the famous Great Wall or Peking Opera performances, as well as other curated holiday routes, giving international visitors an instant invitation to join in with China's festive celebrations.
"I like how everyone is really friendly. And the food is really great. And I love history, so I'm going to the Forbidden City," said Amy, one of the newly-arrived tourists.
Meanwhile, Kaelan Meehan, another British tourist, revealed he has a packed schedule ahead in the coming days. He said he will be heading to the far northeastern city of Qiqihar to visit his wife's family, before heading nearly 3,000 kilometers south to take in the stunning scenery of the UNESCO World Heritage Listed site of Zhangjiajie in central China's Hunan, which is known for inspiring the blockbuster 'Avatar' movie series.
"We are going to Qiqihar, which is where the family is, spending a few days there. And then going to Zhangjiajie to do some sightseeing. And then Beijing to see the Summer Palace, which we were planning on, which is good, and then the Great Wall," said Meehan.
The warm welcome for these arrivals in Beijing comes alongside new travel facilitation measures which should allow more UK travelers to experience China.
China's Foreign Ministry announced that starting Tuesday, ordinary passport holders from Britain will be eligible for visa-free entry for stays of up to 30 days, for tourism, business, family visits, exchanges or transit. The policy will remain in effect until the end of this year.
It came following British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's four-day official visit to China in January, which marked the first trip by a UK prime minister to the country in eight years, and saw the two sides pledging to strengthen bilateral ties.
For many British travelers, the visa-free announcement brings greater convenience when planning future trips, while officials are also optimistic the move will spur greater enthusiasm for travel.
"I think it's really exciting. I think a lot of people might [find it] daunting thinking about going through a whole visa process just to like travel to a different country. So being able to travel, I think, for 30 days without a visa will be really enticing for people from the UK to want to go and visit China for the first time," said Leah, a tourist who was set to depart from London.
"I believe this visa-free policy will greatly encourage more British people to visit China for tourism, business, and study, boosting people-to-people exchanges and strengthening the foundation of our bilateral ties," said Zhang Li, director of the China National Tourist Office in London.
China has been expanding its visa-waiver policies in recent years to facilitate greater travel convenience, boost international tourism and promote people-to-people exchanges, with the UK and Canada now being added to the growing list of countries eligible for the 30-day visa-free entry.
Beijing welcomes British tourists as visa-free agreement takes effect
Beijing welcomes British tourists as visa-free agreement takes effect
