The common explanation for why people in a musical suddenly burst out in song is because that’s the only way they properly express themselves. When mere words fail you, sing them aloud.

Dongguan has been reeling from its prostitution crackdown. Besides suffering from huge economic losses and a mass exodus of people, Dongguan has been maligned with a loss of face from having been crowned “China’s sex capital”. While Dongguan’s mayor has responded to the scandal by being flabbergasted, Dongguan city youth have been more eloquent by putting their feelings into a song. Watch here, and sing along with the translated lyrics written below:

I Love Dongguan 

Get up, morning calisthenics, the sweet aroma of cake wafts in from the street stalls below
Get off from work early, the beautiful sky perfectly complements going for a walk
If you’ve never walked upon the ground of this happy place, then we ask you respectfully, how can you denounce it?
Blinded to this point, how do we make this right?

Even though many have only learned about Dongguan out of context from the media
Respectfully speaking, there is too much emphasis upon the actions of a few
The future of an famous emerging manufacturing city
awaits you to listen to what we have to say

For the righteous name of Dongguan, the basketball team will earnestly work hard
You say there are substantial problems, but you won’t listen to us
For the righteous name of Dongguan, mistakes have been corrected
Can our explanation be heard?

For the righteous name of Dongguan, a prosperous city imbued with vision
Here, millions of people are capable enough to achieve goals through different means 
For the righteous name of Dongguan, the entire city will unite to bring about its worth Listen to us again

Keyuan, Tanwu, Humen and Xiaoyan are all places that you are familiar with
Tasks performed with precision, this is the only place in which digital products are made
Respectfully speaking, why is it that within the same country, you are only interested in the same point?
This is completely misleading, so let’s change the topic

I love you, Donguan, I will not leave or abandon you
Making a living depends upon my own two hands, struggle is what supports this place
I love you Dongguan, let’s tear away the stereotypes that label us
Together as one

I love you, Dongguan, the vision of the city is on hold
Millions of football fans believe that they will carry the championship back home
I love you, Dongguan, our voices are here
and will not cry tears again

Once there was a problem, but you’re saying that it’s dead in the ground
But with both hands raised up high, there no need to tremble anymore
Let’s look at this squarely and not be scared of the ugly truth
We won’t stop our pace forward, hand in hand

Beijing recently employed the same tactic recently when a spate of bad smog would serve to galvanize the city in producing the lip-sync video “Happy in Beijing“. However, that video featured shaking hips and extroverted individualism that isn’t the message in this case.

For a power ballad in the vein of “We Are the World”, we are nonetheless surprised not to see a rap breakdown in the middle in which an MC differentiates regional Chinese differences by outlining what the local delicacies are as had happened in many “Gangam Style” tribute videos.

Photos: Screencaps from 56

[h/t Here! Dongguan]