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YHBOYS. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The recruitment process and getting the boys ready to be shown to the public took more than two years, and having invested so much time and effort in bringing YHBOYS together, Du has big plans for them. In fact those plans appear to go well beyond China, a Twitter account, @YHBoysGlobal, having been set up for them, even if for the moment it has just a few hundred followers.

Plans are also afoot for a YHGIRLS group whose members will be aged between 16 and 18.

"There is huge potential for developing Chinese pop groups. And more than 200 pop groups are set up every year. China has this huge population but just a dozen or so new groups appearing every year, and most of them fizzle out.

"These seven boys are not just good looking but also talented, some playing instruments such as the guitar and piano and some dancing hip-hop and speaking English. We want them to be role models for Chinese youngsters."

The members of YHBOYS and their parents contacted for this article declined to be interviewed but it is apparent that at least one of the boys, aged 11, is already well into his show business apprenticeship.

Zhang Minghao, born in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, made his TV debut when he was 9, performing on Go! Baby!, a variety show produced and aired on Anhui Satellite TV in which youngsters take part in quizzes and show off various talents. Zhang has since appeared in other variety shows aired by Hunan Satellite TV and Beijing TV. Last April he starred in a movie, After School, directed by Liu Yijun, whose theme is school bullying.