Chinese New Year 2026: Drone "Ten Thousand Horses" Captivate 200 Thousand Spectators
JAKARTA - The celebration of the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year in China in the Year of the Horse is increasingly highlighting technology. In Shenzhen, as reported by the Xin Hua news agency, Wednesday, February 18, about 200,000 spectators crowded the square of the Window of the World amusement park to watch the New Year's drone show. Thousands of drones form a scene of "ten thousand horses running", accompanied by traditional drum beats and horse-galloping sound effects. The formation even features details such as fluttering mane, hoof prints, to Mandarin characters for "horses".
The show's organizer, Huang Xing, manager of Shenzhen DAMODA Intelligent Control Technology Co., Ltd., told Xin Hua that the technology used allows each drone to move with centimeter-level accuracy, even millimeters. He said tens of thousands of drones can be synchronized with high precision, while improved algorithms calculate and fill in missing parts of the image in real time.
This performance was praised by young audiences. Many broadcast live or share footage on social media. One viewer judged the 3D effect and the movement of the "herd of horses" to be more fascinating and environmentally friendly than traditional fireworks.
The modern celebration also appeals to older generations. A local resident in his 70s said familiar cultural symbols - including barongsai and the "Fu" (blessing) character - made him feel a "real" New Year's atmosphere, even though it was new. Without smoke and noise, plus bright visuals, it made the elderly audience enjoy the show more comfortably, namely clear, festive, and not noisy. Very interesting.
DAMODA said its drone show has been present in more than 100 cities in China and has reached more than 50 countries and regions. The company is also continuing to improve the clarity of the images, variety and duration of the show, as well as integrating it with night cultural and economic tourism.
Amid the spotlight on technology in Shenzhen, tradition remains alive in eastern China. Ahead of the 2026 Lunar New Year, still quoting Xin Hua, the waterside tourist pier in Chun'an County, Zhejiang Province, is enlivened by more than 200 traditional costumed performers dancing with "bamboo horses" which are imitation horses covered with cloth on a bamboo frame tied to the waist. The head of the Chun'an cultural center, Pan Yongxia, called this the largest performance of the Bamboo Horse Dance, and hundreds of similar performances will continue in villages and districts throughout the festival period.
The Bamboo Horse Dance of Chun'an originated from the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and was listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014. Pan said the performance has evolved from a small group of five people to a mass dance with dozens or even hundreds of participants, involving all age groups. Modern elements such as street dance are also inserted to be closer to the younger generation. Fang Bingkun (86), who was once appointed as the representative heir of the art, emphasized that traditional techniques should be maintained, while being creatively combined with contemporary dance.
The Spring Festival in China is now running on two tracks: traditions such as putting up couplets (two prayers on red paper that are pasted on the door) and lantern riddles are still being carried out, while technology - from drones to robots - is a new way to convey New Year greetings.