# Midea

From Watches to Robots: How China’s Spring Festival Gala Became a Four‑Decade Mirror of Economic Change

China’s Spring Festival Gala has tracked the nation’s economic evolution for more than forty years. What began as barter deals for watches has evolved into multi‑hundred‑million yuan interactive partnerships and showcases of AI and robotics, making the Gala a concise barometer of consumer trends, corporate strategy and industrial policy.