China’s OpenClaw craze hits the streets: aunties line up as Tencent installs it for free in Shenzhen

If you thought AI hype only lived online, Shenzhen just proved otherwise.

On March 6, crowds gathered outside Tencent’s headquarters in Shenzhen for something surprisingly simple: free installation of OpenClaw, the viral open-source AI agent that can run tasks directly on your computer. The line reportedly stretched hundreds of meters, with nearly 1,000 people showing up throughout the day. Around 20 Tencent Cloud engineers were onsite helping people deploy the system, configure models, connect messaging channels, and unlock automation features.

OpenClaw — nicknamed “the lobster” by Chinese netizens — became a sudden hit because it can actually operate software and complete tasks on your computer, from organizing documents to running workflows. But installing it usually requires technical skills like Python, Docker, and environment configuration, which most regular users simply don’t have.

That difficulty quickly created a mini market. Online, remote installation services were charging around 300 yuan, while in-person setups could cost 500 to 1,500 yuan. Some overseas hosted deployments were even priced at thousands of dollars.

Tencent Cloud stepped in with a free solution. Within 40 minutes, all 935 reservation slots for the event were gone.

And the crowd? Everyone. Students, office workers, parents, retirees — and plenty of Chinese aunties and uncles curious about the AI trend. Some even arrived pushing carts with their desktop computers.

For many observers, the scene felt familiar. Just weeks earlier, DeepSeek sparked a nationwide rush to try China’s new AI models. Now OpenClaw is riding a similar wave — proof that in China, AI isn’t just a tech industry topic anymore.

It’s becoming a full-on public craze about how AI can actually be used in daily life. 🤖🦞