Ehang takes to the air for Lantern Festival drone show

A fleet of 500 drones took to the skies above Xi'an for this year's Lantern Festival, to showcase the strength of local high-tech enterprises, according to a senior executive from Ehang Intelligent Equipment Co.

Xiong Yifang, chief marketing officer and co-founder of the company, said the drone performance was an important roadshow for Ehang in the wake of moving its cargo logistics headquarters to the capital city of Shaanxi province in February this year.

Ehang is a high-tech drone manufacturer founded in Guangzhou in 2014, with a full range of operations covering research and development, production, sales and after-sales services.

Just 10 days after the establishment of its Xi'an logistics headquarters, Ehang staged its first large-scale drone show at Tang Paradise, a major tourist attraction in the city. A total of 300 drones were used in the event.

Another larger show, using 500 Ehang drones, was staged on March 2 in the Xi'an High-Tech Zone.

Xiong, who is also the CEO of Ehang's logistics operations, said it took more than two months for the company to prepare for the performances.

"We wanted to entertain local residents with a novel performance," said Xiong, adding that the events are also meant to display the advanced technologies and products of Ehang.

The events are the result of cooperation with a number of other local high-tech companies specializing in lighting effects and music.

Xiong said that Ehang chose to set up a logistics base in Xi'an because the ancient capital has a long history and brilliant culture, and it is a dynamic modern metropolis with strong and innovative industries.

He noted that city plans to build itself into a "capital of hard and core technology".

Hard and core technology is a term that refers to cutting-edge technologies in the real economy sectors including artificial intelligence, aerospace, biotechnology, photoelectronics, new materials, new energies and smart manufacturing.

Xiong, who is a Xi'an native, said Ehang will form part of the city's strength in hard and core technology.

He noted that Ehang's operations in the Xi'an High-Tech Zone will focus on drone-transport delivery business, especially for remote rural areas in China's northwestern regions.

(China Daily USA 03/21/2018 page14)