The TV spectacular, which is said to be watched by 700 million people, featured scores of the country's best-known singers but they all risked being upstaged by robots as the Year of the Monkey was ushered in.
A crew of 540 humanoid robots danced in perfect step to a song by Sun Nan (??) against the impressive Guangzhou skyline.
It's mesmerizing to watch and a little scary too, especially if you're haunted by nightmares of a robot army taking over the world.
And just when the song approaches its climax, drones arrive! They numbered 29, according to Chinese media reports.
It's a catchy song too:
Martyn Williams