China's power company just made a girl group using 5 employees
China has a new girl group, but this one wasn't formed by a record label.
In an effort to refresh its stuffy government image, the state-run China Southern Power Grid has rounded up five of its employees into a group aptly called the Power Girls.
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They are Xiaoyu, a customer service executive; Yangyang, a community manager; Ying Qi, a dispatcher; hotline operator Xiaochun; and substation operations officer Yun Xuan, according to the local Guangzhou Daily.
China Southern Power Grid provides power to the south of the country, which includes large provinces like Guangdong, Yunnan and Hainan.
This is the first government-run company to have created a music group.
It's also the first government-run company to have created a music group, according to People's Daily.
The group's first music video for their single titled "万家灯火" (Ten Thousand Houses Lit Up) describes southern Chinese culture, and features the region's scenic points of interest such as Baiyun Mountain.
Midway through the song, they switch from singing in Mandarin (pu tong hua) to Cantonese -- the dialect spoken in southern parts of China and in nearby territories like Hong Kong.
The company told reporters it hopes the new single will help people better understand and appreciate the work that the power company does.
People on Weibo have praised the company for the campaign, and the employees for their courage in participating, despite being amateurs. One user said: "These are hardworking and beautiful women."
Another user said he felt emotional listening to the Cantonese portions of the song.
Naturally, the video has drawn the usual insults online. Some said they didn't like it, while others criticised how "insincere" it was as part of a state-run company's propaganda machinery.
The Power Girls have been featured in print ads to be distributed around the southern states, and they've made a recent public appearance that attracted some 400 fans to the meet-up.
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Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
