Meet The Hunky Dragon Boat Team That's Making The Internet Sweat

While many of us were busy stuffing our faces with rice dumplings over the Dragon Boat Festival, the internet was feasting on eye candy. Specifically, a dragon boat team from China.

While we admit that Singapore’s dragon boat teams are no slouches in the looks department, the Internet is talking about a team of ridiculously good-looking dragon boat rowers with washboard abs from China.

The athletic crew made their debut at this year's Hangzhou Xixi Wuchang Dragon Boat Festival. Unlike dragon boaters in Singapore who must wear an approved live vest at all times, the team in China was paddling topless. Of course, it quickly went viral.

The rowers have since been nicknamed everything from "dragon boat idols" to a "boy band on water", thanks to their synchronised paddling, movie-star looks and, well... rather impressive abs.

Clad in matching shorts that left very little to the imagination, many online admitted they were already fans before the race had even begun.

As eye-catching as they may be, the rowers weren't recruited purely for aesthetics.

According to Chinese media reports, the team underwent systematic dragon boat and physical training before taking to the water.

The youth-led team was reportedly assembled as part of an effort to inject fresh energy into dragon boat racing, a tradition that has historically been associated with older village residents.

Organisers hope that by giving the sport a younger and more contemporary image, more people from the next generation will be encouraged to pick up a paddle.

Judging by how quickly the videos spread online, the strategy appears to have worked.