An online cartoon video that explains how to become a leader in China has gone viral, and experts believe its success and popularity could encourage the government to think of new ways to communicate with the public.

The cartoon video, titled How Top Leaders Were Made, is available in both Chinese and English and was uploaded to video sharing website Youku.com on Monday. The five-and-a-half minute cartoon has since attracted more than 1.2 million views and generated more than 600 comments.

Using the headshots of President Xi Jinping, US President Barack Obama and United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron and superimposing them over cartoon bodies, the video explains how the three nations select their top leaders.