Back-flipping, nunchuck-weilding humanoid robots delighted and amazed viewers at China’s annual televised new-year extravaganza with their kung-fu choreography. But they – and their rivals who took to the stage Monday night – also carried a message about just how rapidly Chinese androids are advancing.

Traditional prayers, fireworks and fairs marked the Lunar New Year on Tuesday — alongside 21st-century humanoid robots.

With fireworks, lion dancing, temple visits and even robots, more than a billion people across Asia and in diaspora communities welcomed the Year of the Horse on Tuesday.

The 15-day celebration is “marked by many traditions,” the National Museum of Asian Art said on its website, including house cleaning and shopping at open-air markets.