Tai'an City, Shandong Province, east China - Nov 2, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Aerial shots of China Media Group (CMG) World Robot Mount Tai Climbing Competition, people gathering at starting point
2. Aerial shots of quadruped robots climbing Mount Tai
3. Various of quadruped robots climbing Mount Tai, engineers, tourist
4. Various of humanoid robots climbing Mount Tai, getting up from ground
5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Su Qingwei, chief referee, China Media Group World Robot Mount Tai Challenge (ending with shot 6):
"For robots, this course is a natural training ground. It keeps changing in every possible way. If a robot can complete this race, it will make a huge difference to their progress."
6. Various of quadruped robots climbing Mount Tai
7. Various of quadruped robots climbing Mount Tai with loads
8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhao Ameng, scenic area staff (ending with shot 7-8):
"During the operating season, the scenic area generates about 20,000 tons of waste every year. Most of it is carried out by hand. The climate and terrain are complex, so transport costs are high and efficiency is low. That is our biggest problem. During the competition, many companies talked with us in depth. They learned about the pain points we face in daily operations, which gives robot companies ideas and guidance for upgrading their products."
9. Various of sanitation worker transporting trash
10. Various of quadruped robots climbing Mount Tai with loads
11. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Liu Wenqiang, Party Secretary, China Center for Information Industry Development (ending with shot 12):
"The key value of this competition is that it uses a real-world setting as a natural testing ground for robots. The teams collect massive amounts of training data in actual tests, providing a model for smarter robots to be applied on a much larger scale."
12. Various of quadruped robots climbing Mount Tai with loads
13. Various of tourists filming quadruped robots
14. Aerial shots of people climbing Mount Tai

Perched on the slopes of Mount Tai, one of China's most iconic peaks in eastern Shandong Province, a distinctive robot mountain climbing competition kicked off on Monday, turning the popular scenic area into a live proving ground for robots' extreme performance and future real-world deployment.

The inaugural China Media Group World Robot Mount Tai Challenge, brought together nearly 90 teams of humanoid, quadruped and exoskeleton robots. Competitors tackled the 3.9-kilometer ancient stone path from Hongmen to Zhongtianmen -- ascending 3,100 steps and 640 meters in elevation, with morning mist and moss adding extra layers of difficulty.

The competition is divided into two main categories of speed races and specialized events, with five events in total for different robot forms, including speed racing and load-carrying challenges.

The event provides a high-standard and real-world testing platform for the technological advancement and practical application of specialized mountain robots, according to officials.

"For robots, this course is a natural training ground. It keeps changing in every possible way. If a robot can complete this race, it will make a huge difference to their progress," said Su Qingwei, the competition's chief referee.

At the load-carrying challenge, robots carry not only bulky cargo boxes, but also fragile eggs. Along the way, they must complete four mountain supply-transport tasks.

Unlike the speed race, the load-carrying challenge is scored on the number of tasks completed, the condition of the items, and transport efficiency.

This competition provides robots with practical experience for future roles such as mountain transport and inspection -- capabilities that are currently in demand at the Mount Tai scenic area.

"During the operating season, the scenic area generates about 20,000 tons of waste every year. Most of it is carried out by hand. The climate and terrain are complex, so transport costs are high and efficiency is low. That is our biggest problem. During the competition, many companies talked with us in depth. They learned about the pain points we face in daily operations, which gives robot companies ideas and guidance for upgrading their products," said Zhao Ameng, a staffer at scenic area.

Experts noted that the event goes beyond displaying robot functions, more importantly, it pushes performance forward via real-world simulation and promotes in-depth participant exchanges for continuous refinement.

"The key value of this competition is that it uses a real-world scene as a natural testing ground for robots. The teams collect massive amounts of training data in actual tests, providing a model for smarter robots to be applied on a much larger scale," said Liu Wenqiang, Party secretary of China Center for Information Industry Development.