Four Decades, One Ascent
China went from zero domestic robots in 1980 to the world's largest robotics market — and now the world's largest humanoid-robot manufacturer. Here is how it happened, in six acts.
A lone scientist plants the flag
In 1972, Jiang Xinsong of the Shenyang Institute of Automation made what was then a fringe proposal: that China should build robots. Eight years later, in 1980, his team completed China's first industrial robot — a teach-and-playback manipulator. At a time when few in the country took robotics seriously, Jiang's stubbornness earned him the title that sticks today: "Father of Chinese Robotics."
National will meets the lab
In 1986, China launched the 863 Program, a national high-tech research plan that made robotics a strategic priority. Jiang Xinsong served as chief scientist of the automation domain. Under its umbrella, Chinese teams completed the PJ-1 painting robot (1990), developed seven series of industrial robots with proprietary IP, ran more than 100 application projects and built nine industrialisation bases. By the 1990s, research capability was genuinely world-class — the missing piece was a market.
China's first robotics company is born
In April 2000, a team led by Qu Daokui — a protégé of Jiang Xinsong — spun out of the Shenyang Institute of Automation to found SIASUN, named in honour of the late Jiang. It was China's first dedicated robot company. Over the next decade, SIASUN and peers such as Estun (founded 1993) turned research into products, while the country's booming automotive and electronics factories created an endless stream of demand. In 2013, China overtook Japan to become the world's largest industrial-robot market — a position it has never relinquished.
"Machine replacing man" reshapes a nation
In 2014, Dongguan — the heart of the "world's factory" — became the first city to launch a "robot replacement" (机器换人) initiative. That same year, HKUST professor Li Zexiang founded XbotPark in Songshan Lake, an incubator that would spawn more than 80 hardware companies and several unicorns, with DJI as its crown jewel. Meanwhile consumer robotics took off: Ecovacs and Roborock turned Chinese homes into robot vacuums' largest market. The era's defining shift: China stopped just buying robots and started building its own ecosystem.
Tesla's Optimus lights the fuse
Tesla's Optimus reveal in 2022 poured petrol on the global humanoid race — and China reacted fastest. 2023 was the inflection year: Agibot was founded by Huawei "genius" Peng Zhihui in Shanghai; Fourier shipped its GR-1 humanoid; UBTECH became the world's first listed humanoid-robot company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in December. More than 47 Chinese humanoid startups were now chasing the same prize.
From demo to factory floor
2025 was the crossing point: domestic brands overtook foreign brands in China's industrial-robot market for the first time, and China shipped roughly 18,000 humanoid robots — the majority of the global total. Unitree filed for a Star Market IPO in a record 73 days; Agibot followed toward Hong Kong. 2026 is widely called the "year of mass production," but also the year of consolidation — the capital that once backed 50 players is concentrating on five to eight. The industry has entered its most consequential act yet.
Key turning points at a glance
| Year | Milestone | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | China's first industrial robot built （示教再现机械手） | Proof that Chinese labs could build robots from scratch. |
| 1986 | 863 Program launched （863计划） | Robotics became a national strategic priority. |
| 1990 | PJ-1 painting robot completed （PJ-1喷涂机器人） | First robot aimed at real industrial application. |
| 2000 | SIASUN founded （新松机器人） | China's first dedicated robot company; the industry goes commercial. |
| 2013 | China becomes #1 industrial-robot market | Largest demand base in the world, with the supply to match. |
| 2014 | Dongguan "robot replacement"; XbotPark founded （机器换人 / 松山湖XbotPark） | Policy push + ecosystem incubator produce DJI and a hardware startup wave. |
| 2022 | Tesla Optimus revealed | Ignites the global humanoid race; China responds fastest. |
| 2023 | UBTECH lists (HKEX); Fourier GR-1 ships; Agibot founded （优必选上市） | Humanoids become investable, shippable, and crowded. |
| 2025 | Domestic brands top China's industrial-robot market; ~18,000 humanoids shipped （国产份额首超外资） | China's robotics industry reaches escape velocity. |
| 2026 | Mass-production year; Unitree & Agibot head to public markets （量产元年） | The shakeout begins — capital concentrates on a few winners. |
Shipment figures are industry estimates reported by Chinese media and consultancies; definitions of "humanoid robot" vary by source.
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