More than 500 humanoid robots and thousands of spectators traveled to Beijing over the weekend for a sporting event straight out of a science fiction film: the first-of-its-kind World Humanoid Robot Games.

But even before this month, China has been turning to high-profile events to showcase its tech, including a robot half-marathon and dancing humanoid robots during its Lunar New Year’s Eve TV gala, watched by hundreds of millions of people, according to The New York Times.