Mythical Dog Meets Robot Tech in Chinese Opera

Imagine a 1,500-year-old legend walking (or rolling?) into the 21st century . In Zhejiang Province, a Wu Opera troupe just blended ancient mythology with cutting-edge robotics by casting a robotic dog as 'Xiaotian Quan' – the loyal companion of Erlang Shen, a deity from Chinese folklore!

The show, which had audiences , reimagines Yang Jian’s mythical hound as a sleek, AI-powered performer. The robo-pup interacts with actors, follows cues, and even 'barks' in sync with traditional percussion beats – think Transformers meets Peking Opera .

Wu Opera director Li Wei explained: 'We wanted to honor our roots while speaking to Gen Z. The robot isn’t replacing tradition – it’s bridging eras.' Theatergoers described the hybrid show as 'like watching a Marvel movie come to life, but with silk costumes .'

This isn’t just a gimmick – it’s part of China’s push to digitally preserve intangible cultural heritage. Could robot lions for Lunar New Year be next?

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Tech meets mythology: Erlang Shen's robot dog

cgtn.com