The Tianjing pipes sediment from the ocean floor onto shore. (Photo: Shi Ding/Global Times)

On Saturday, celebrated as the "little new year" in North China, the dredger Tianjing, or "Sky Whale," made its live-streaming debut.

More than 20 million people watched online and marveled at the self-propelled cutter-suction vessel's powerful ability, and felt the wisdom and strength of China.

The reamer of Tianjing. (Photo: Shi Ding/Global Times)

Tianjing became operational in 2010, and is equipped with an automatic dredging control system and a reamer driven by a 4,200-kilowatt variable-frequency motor which grinds hard deep-sea rocks, two transversal winches and a spud carrier system for accurate positioning.

It has been hailed as a powerful tool for island-building because of its strong excavation and hydraulic reclamation ability.

Soil and sand are transported through pipes to form new land. (Photo: Shi Ding/Global Times)

During the 24-hour live broadcast, the Tianjing crew extended New Year's greetings to internet users as the vessel created a stretch of land of about 30,000 square meters, or four soccer fields, in Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu Province.

(Compiled by Zhang Xinyue; Edited by Huang Jingjing; Source: Agencies)