BEIJING — China's government released a new propaganda video extolling the virtues of central government planning on Tuesday — with the catchy tune and wacky images reminiscent of the classic 1970s “Schoolhouse Rock!” TV series.
The animated music video explains how the country's 13th five-year plan — the Chinese shorthand pronounced "shi san wu" — will help guide social and economic policy for the country.
“If you wanna know what China’s gonna do, best pay attention to the shi san wu, the shi san wu, the shi san wu,” the song’s trills before giving details about who comprises the plan’s committee — namely, ministers, doctors, farmers and "engineers who deal with poo."
The video was released by the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
The irreverent collage of visual prompts includes Albert Einstein’s face lined up with the profiles of noted Chinese Communist Party leaders like Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai.
Beijing’s ruling Communist Party is in the process of deliberating on its 13th five-year plan, which will go into effect next year. Despite the video's upbeat tune, China’s leadership is drawing it up against a background of slowing economic growth rates.
The piece was created by Revival Road Workshop, a media company that was behind a propaganda video earlier this year about how much the Chinese love Russian President Vladimir Putin.