Latest news with #Yangko
Associated Press
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Foreigners celebrate Chinese New Year in Yulin City: learning Northern Shaanxi Folk Song and Yangko
YULIN, China, March 24, 2025 /CNW/ -- A news report from Yulin Media Center: On the 14th day of the first lunar month, a group of international visitors arrived at the Northern Shaanxi Folk Song Museum. Wang Zhixing, a professional folk singer, started the cultural tour with his impromptu singing. Northern Shaanxi folk songs, with high-pitched tunes and lingering rhymes, have been sung for generations on this land. From work chants to love duets, from weddings and funerals to festivals and rituals, Northern Shaanxi folk songs are a true reflection of the people's emotions. In 2006, they were included in the first batch of China's National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. After listening to the song, a foreigner said: 'this song shows the beauty of China, I do not understand but can feel everything.' At the Yulin Folk Art Research Institute, a group of artists are making final preparations for the 2025 National Yangko Performance Exhibition. Originated from the Ming and Qing dynasties, Shaanbei Yangko is an entertainment combined dance, opera performances and folk rituals for farmers in their leisure time, which shows the optimism of Loess Plateau people. In 2008, Northern Shaanxi Yangko was included in China's National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. There are not only Yangko teams from all over China, but folk art troupes from Bulgaria, Thailand, South Korea and Russia in Yulin Lantern Festival in 2025. This fusion of Eastern and Western cultures gave new life to the ancient Shaanxi Yangko. Foreigners commented: 'I like their performance and dancing, because it was amazing. The collective celebration of the Chinese New Year breaks the Western model of family-style festivals.' By participating in Yangko parade, foreigners not only appreciated the charm of intangible cultural heritage, but also understood the deeper significance of cultural inheritance. 'The cultural self-confidence reflected in the eyes of performers lets us see 5,000 years of civilisation. I respect and love this culture'. From the soundscape of the Folk Song Museum to the immersive experience of street Yangko, Yulin has built cross-cultural bridges with intangible cultural heritage arts for friends at home and abroad. These leaping notes and dance steps are vivid Chinese New Year gift, as well as the code for the world to understand the culture on this land, injecting new era vitality into Northern Shaanxi intangible cultural heritage.
Asia Times
12-03-2025
- Business
- Asia Times
Four Chinese firms look to shake up tech world in DeepSeek's wake
The success of the Chinese AI firm DeepSeek shocked financial markets and major US tech firms in January 2025. But it shouldn't have come as such a surprise. For decades now, plenty of companies in China have been developing competitive advantages that enable them to make remarkable progress. This involves a strategy different from that of many big Western firms that rely on things like branding (like Apple) and exclusive technology (like Nvidia) to succeed. Instead, these less-well-known Chinese companies have focused on delivering more innovation faster and cheaper. And our research suggests that they have been able to achieve this by being much more adaptable in how they do business. So DeepSeek may not be alone as a gamechanger. Here are four more Chinese firms looking to disrupt the global economy in similar ways. DJI Innovations makes low-cost drones that produce aerial photography and videos. Founded in 2006 by Frank Wang (who became Asia's youngest tech billionaire at the age of 36), the company develops camera technology and software as well as engineering drone systems used in industries including agriculture and defence. Its technology has been used in the filming of shows like Better Call Saul and Game of Thrones. DJI's cutting-edge research and development involves highly sophisticated automated assembly lines that make more for less cost. This has led to rapid international expansion and foreign partnerships, making the company a dominant player that is tough to compete against. A DJI Innovations spin-off founded in 2016, Unitree Robotics specializes in high-performance quadruped and humanoid robots as well as components such as robotic arms. These products incorporate artificial intelligence and have many applications in consumer and industrial markets. But in a sector where progress can be slower than we might expect, Unitree's rapid development cycles – from initial idea, through development and testing, to commercialization – give it an edge over rivals. This cycle speed is achieved through highly digitized processes, and large highly skilled development teams, which place it ahead of many rivals. For example, in 2024 one of the firm's humanoid robots (already capable of soldering and cooking) set a new walking speed record of 3.3 meters per second. And in early 2025 the company's robots performed a traditional Yangko dance alongside humans. Game Science is a Chinese video games firm founded in 2014. Its August 2024 release of Black Myth: Wukong, an advanced role-playing video game inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West , is one of the fastest-selling games of all time, with revenues of over US$1.1 billion and over 25 million copies sold to date. This success demonstrates the firm's ability to create products that incorporate Chinese cultural elements that also appeal to global tastes. This is partly down to the company's prolific data analysis capabilities, allowing it to incorporate vast quantities of feedback from players into its design decisions. That input gives it a big advantage over competitors, moving beyond the old Chinese export model of making cheap versions of western products. Instead, it offers innovative products that are also cheaper, contributing to China's growing presence in the global gaming market. Yonyou was set up in 1988 to offer business and accounting software to Chinese companies. It now dominates the market in the country and has spread to Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Beyond Asia is the next goal. The firm's success hinges on its ability to optimize its products for local customers while avoiding premium pricing. It understands that business systems vary geographically according to things like local culture, customs and consumer taste. Yonyou's proposition is simple but very effective: to develop software that varies to serve idiosyncratic local needs, knowing that this will work better than the one-size-fits-all products available from global competitors. This has led it to create popular and specific software for industries including retail, education, finance and construction. The company's expertise lies in challenging the conventional wisdom that customized products come at a high cost. Each of these four Chinese firms clearly understands the advantages to be gained from innovative technology and good strategy, which are both within their control. What they cannot control are the geopolitical factors to do with international trade and the global economy – which makes the future uncertain. But continuing to work to their particular strengths will make it likely that they – and plenty of others like them – go on disrupting global markets. Naresh R. Pandit is a professor of international business at the University of East Anglia; Feng Wan is an associate professor of management at Zhejiang University; and Peter Williamson is an honorary professor of international management at Cambridge Judge Business School. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Express Tribune
23-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Watch: AI robot attacks' participant at Chinese festival
Listen to article A shocking incident at a festival in China has sparked heated debate about the safety of AI-powered robots. A viral video circulating on social media appears to show a humanoid robot moving erratically toward festival-goers before security guards intervene. Some netizens claim the robot was attacking attendees, while others argue it was simply a malfunction. What happened? According to reports, the incident occurred at a festival in China, where a group of AI-powered robots was performing. Footage shared online shows one of the robots unexpectedly moving towards the crowd. While it remains unclear whether it attempted to hit people or simply stumbled due to a barricade, the situation escalated quickly, prompting security personnel to step in. Event organizers described the incident as 'a simple robot failure' but acknowledged that the unexpected malfunction raised concerns about AI reliability. Authorities confirmed that the robot had passed safety tests prior to the event and that future measures will be taken to prevent such occurrences. Concerns over AI safety This is not the first time an AI-powered machine has caused unease. Similar incidents worldwide have fueled debates about whether AI can be safely integrated into public settings. Many worry that as robots become more autonomous, the risks of malfunctions—or even unintended aggression—could pose real dangers. Social media reacts The video has ignited online discussions, with many users voicing fears about the future of AI: 'We are getting closer and closer to a science fiction scenario.' 'This is just the beginning. Soon, AI will take over!' 'Sci-fi movies warned us about this!' On platforms like Twitter (now X) and Reddit, users debated whether such incidents indicate a flaw in AI design or if fears are exaggerated. AI's brighter side: Impressive performances Despite the controversy, AI robots continue to impress. Earlier this year, 16 Unitree H1 humanoid robots performed a synchronized Yangko dance alongside human performers at China's Spring Festival Gala. While the performance was met with mixed reactions, it demonstrated AI's potential in entertainment. As AI-powered robots become more common in public spaces, incidents like this festival malfunction raise critical questions about safety and ethical considerations. Is this a minor glitch, or a warning sign of AI's unpredictability? The debate continues.
