How much do you know about Tencent?

It launched in 1998 as a communications company. Today its fingers are in everything from entertainment to emerging technology. It pretty much owns digital gaming in China, and mobile gaming everywhere. In 2011, it became Riot Games’ parent company. That means esports, too, is at its service.

Today, the corporation is working to help create a Chinese OpenAI competitor. And after that nation’s government blocked Meta for 14 years, Zuck’s got another chance of making his mark in China, thanks to Tencent.

When we think of an embodiment of capitalism—a shape, not just an idea—we think of Tencent. Its influence in people’s lives is immeasurable and growing all the time.

Yet all this stuff we’ve listed barely scratches the surface. “Here We Go Round and Round,” by Mother Shanghai, is designed to paint a picture about the conglomo’s ambitions in energy, robotics, farming and commerce.

The background music is an adaptation of “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush,” a children’s nursery rhyme. VFX and direction come from ManvsMachine, and the film ranks as an especially impressive feat of production.

The first thing that hits us about “Here We Go Round and Round” is that it’s almost hypnotically pretty to look at. It makes us feel soothed about stuff that’s not quite so smooth in our addled minds.

Windmills and photovoltaic panels rotate in perfect time, like shifting limbs in a harmonious body. Robotic arms dance, passing their rhythm to hydroponically grown plants; dumplings move through the turbines of commerce; cars slice over bridges, lit by buttery sunlight.

It’s the international marketplace portrayed as a village, interconnected systems undulating to a childlike tune for our benefit. Everything is clean. Everything works. Everything has its place.

In the universe of Tencent, the machine of capital is well-oiled and moving just fine.

According to Mother, the work is designed to demonstrate how Tencent, through these lesser-known investments, “provides more than just web services and supports everyday people’s lives and infrastructure.” The release adds, “Superimposing overlapping layers and progressive visual effects deepens the theme of perpetual motion … reinforcing the relationship between Tencent’s role as a supporter and the economy’s digital transformation. At the same time, the continuous imagery gives the feeling of surging energy, paired with simple lyrics that convey optimism.”

Below is a translation of the song lyrics.

The windmills make our world go round and round
Fresh and free, round and round
The sun’s rays give us energy
All clean and green

The robot’s magic arms fly round and round
Here and there, round and round
Smartly and swiftly, with lots of care
More gets made

The weather on command goes round and round
Grow and thrive, round and round
Smart farming keeps the crops alive
All through the year

The commerce in the cloud goes round and round
More and more, round and round
Business owners profit and score
Cheers and great joy

Round and round, round and round
Technology boosts change in leaps and bounds
Round and round, round and round

Tencent helps the economy go round and round
Tencent helps the economy go round and round

Local weavers created the installations using 69 pounds of pure, raw, unwashed Merino wool that birds can peck away at to create nests. Mother Shanghai notes that the wool went “straight from sheep to installation.”

The video will run across owned and paid channels in China.

Per Mother Shanghai, Laojun Mountain was the ideal location, as “it’s the home to over 194 species of birds. Aside from their stunning beauty with regard to the landscape, the site was selected based on a set of carefully considered conditions: feasibility of putting up the installation without damaging the woods; species of birds; the density of nesting bird community in spring; filming possibility.”

The agency says the challenges came “less from the creation of the installation but more on putting them in place high up on Laojun Mountain—from a last-minute transportation travel ban (due to Covid) to stringing them at 3,860 meters above sea level. Plus, the inability to predict weather conditions.”

The film crew had to leave within certain time parameters due to weather conditions and a high altitude. When the weather is warmer, and travel restrictions are lifted (Shanghai is currently in Covid lockdown), they plan to shoot updated video of the installations post-wool removal.

“Most birds are incredibly skilled at building nests without any help from people,” says Mother Shanghai, “But often, the fluff they gather contains traces of synthetics, and we wouldn’t recommend that.”

CREDITS

Client: The Woolmark Company 
Agency: Mother Shanghai 
Creative: Mother Shanghai 
Strategy: Mother Shanghai 
Director: H. Stanley
Assistant Director: L.C Xu
Director of Photography: Nick Yang
Set Designer: Miga Liang 
Music Composer: Kuniyuki Takahashi a.k.a Koss
SFX: Mix Studio
Production Company: PLAYFilms Shanghai
Visual Effects: Tao&Jill
Production Company: Twinkle Lab
Photography: Scott Lee
Typographer: HeFan